Benitez throws Champions League lifeline to two goal Cisse
The Anfield boss praised Cisse’s display in the win over Aston Villa which secured fifth spot and left them three points short of fourth-placed Everton.
Cisse scored two goals in his first full 90 minutes for the senior side since October, when he broke his leg at Blackburn - proving he can face AC Milan in Istanbul on May 25.
Benitez, who also used his other striker Milan Baros for the last half hour, said: “We now have two options knowing Cisse is fit and can complete 90 minutes.
“We can play with just one striker or we can adapt and play with two, it gives me possibilities, choices for the final. For us it is good to have that choice. We have seen Cisse training really hard, the problem was to play 90 minutes after so long out.
“It was a good game for him, he worked really hard and Baros was lively when he came on. Both can run, shoot and dribble - it gives me the chance to change things during a match.”
Cisse scored his first from the spot and then nine minutes later clinically blasted home the second goal. Gareth Barry pulled one back in the second period but Villa’s late charge could not salvage a point for David O’Leary’s team.
O’Leary insisted his side deserved something from the match for their late rally. “We keep giving teams soft starts to matches and conceding goals that are a joke. We started the game well but gave a stupid penalty away that gave them a lead that they had done nothing to deserve. Then we conceded another silly goal and it became very difficult from then on.
“The second half was different and we could have equalised, but I felt we deserved something from the game.
“As for the future, we are stabilised in mid-table and if we bring in a few more signings in the summer, we can move forward more.”
: Carson, Josemi, Pellegrino, Carragher, Warnock, Nunez (Finnan 79), Alonso, Biscan (Hamann 70), Riise, Cisse, Kewell (Baros 60).
: Sorensen, De la Cruz, Delaney, Laursen, Barry, Djemba-Djemba, Solano, Davis, Hendrie (Samuel 48), Vassell (Moore 45), Angel (Cole 64).
: B Knight (Kent).
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