Kewell could play in Athens: Benitez

HARRY KEWELL is locked in a race against time to convince Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez he is ready to atone for his Champions League final nightmare two years ago.

Kewell made his first competitive appearance of the season since sustaining a foot injury in last year’s World Cup when he appeared with 13 minutes to go at Craven Cottage in a match Liverpool lost 1-0 to struggling Fulham.

Benitez said: “It was positive to see Harry again. We will look at him during what’s left of the season and maybe he will have a chance for the final.

“If Harry plays well this week or at the weekend we will see what happens.

“We need to test him because right now you could say physically that he is fit but he really needs to play, to tackle, to sprint and to get back to where he was.”

Benitez made nine changes against Fulham to give the side that edged Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night a rest, but may restore the likes of captain Steven Gerrard for the Addicks clash.

And the Spaniard insists his team selection for the AC Milan rematch will see some big name casualties if he deems it necessary.

He said: “My idea is to use the players that we have, maybe with the same or a mix, against Charlton.

“I’m not worried about names. I am always trying to analyse my team, the best players for each game.

“Having names doesn’t mean you will win. The names will win if they are top-class and work hard on the pitch. The name itself means nothing.”

Benitez may have fielded his second string against Fulham but they should still have been out of sight at half-time. Robbie Fowler missed a glorious chance while Craig Bellamy was frustrated by goalkeeper Antti Niemi all afternoon.

For once, Fulham were able to give a lesson in finishing with Clint Dempsey combining superbly with Liam Rosenior to open his account for the club following his £1.5million move from New England Revolution in January.

It was virtually the only chance the Cottagers had and Dempsey, 24, kept a cool head to seal the three points that have all but ended the club’s relegation fears.

Caretaker-boss Lawrie Sanchez has now accumulated four points from his four games in charge and the Northern Ireland coach declared his mission had been accomplished.

He said: “I could have quite easily said I wouldn’t come here. Why put my reputation on the line?

“But managers are strange people – we do put ourselves on the line for it. If we had lost, people would have said it hasn’t worked. But we won so it has worked and I was the right man.

“That is what management is about, making a team deliver when it has to.”

Opta Fact: Fulham ended a run of 10 league games without a Premiership win with this victory — their longest such run in their Premiership history.

Opta Fact: Liverpool have won only one of their last six top-flight away games