Kuyt is flying, says Benitez

RAFAEL BENITEZ hailed Dirk Kuyt as his Champions League hero and insisted that the £9m he paid for the Dutchman has been vindicated.

When Kuyt arrived from Feyenoord in last summer’s transfer window, there was plenty of criticism, particularly in Holland, of the fee and the player’s quality.

But Kuyt took Liverpool’s Champions League semi final second leg by storm. He blasted home the penalty shoot-out winner, hit the bar, forced Petr Cech into two wonderful saves and even had another effort ruled out for a debatable offside.