Benitez grateful for unstoppable Torres

LIVERPOOL might be as far from the title as ever after another season of domestic frustration, but at least Rafael Benitez can boast the Premier League’s champion striker.

The Spaniard is running out of superlatives for Fernando Torres but he scraped together a few more to mark ‘El Nino’ breaking Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s record for Premier League goals scored by an overseas player in their first season in England yesterday.

The Spain international, who cost Liverpool £21.5million from Atletico Madrid last summer, beat Tottenham’s Radek Cerny in the 74th minute for his 24th league goal – and his 33rd in all competitions – to cap a remarkable debut season.