But, however much he may wish otherwise, the Liverpool manager will not find it so easy to write his rival out of his pursuit of the Premiership title this season.
Only a highly-contentious penalty award prevented Liverpool maintaining their 100 per cent start to the campaign at a soaked Anfield yesterday, the Kop's chorus of condemnation for the referee Rob Styles on the final whistle deafening following his dampening of what had promised to be an impressive announcement of intent from Fernando Torres.
The afternoon had promised much for Liverpool as they attempt to develop into genuine championship contenders this term, the performance bright and belligerent and even the PA announcer struggling to contain his elation at events in Manchester as he revelled in United's worst start to a Premiership season for 15 years before kick-off. But this was an opportunity lost.
There was a shrug from Roman Abramovich in the directors' box at full-time, yet it should have been relief that shaped Chelsea's reaction to a game in which they struggled to assert authority.
Last week they had passed Liverpool's record of 63 home games unbeaten with victory over Birmingham, an achievement that prompted Benitez to write, "It is a record that was started by Claudio Ranieri when Roman Abramovich arrived at the club and we must congratulate them," and his spitefulness would not have eased after these events. "It was a very, very unfair decision," insisted Steven Gerrard. "Unbelievable," stated his manager. "Unbelievable."
These sides have made a habit of nullifying their opponents' attacking edge beyond the boredom threshold in recent years and it was therefore an enthralled Anfield, and disgusted Chelsea bench, that saw the visitors prised apart and punished with beautiful simplicity by Gerrard and Torres in the 16th minute.
The Liverpool captain, toe fractured yet instrumental in a strong opening from the home side that should have yielded a breakthrough from John Arne Riise after only 110 seconds, put the Spaniard clear with a weighted diagonal ball down the left, and the striker then showed the skill, acceleration and finishing worthy of a £26.5m club record signing. Tal Ben-Haim came across to cover but Torres glided away from the Israeli defender with ease before steering his shot into the far corner of Petr Cech's goal, a fine way to open his Liverpool account and to suggest he could have a major influence on the club's title aspirations this season.
Benitez has long stressed the value of taking the lead in fixtures against the big four, usually after Liverpool had again failed to do so during their meagre return of four points from a possible 36 under his stewardship prior to yesterday, and the impact of the striker in whom he has invested so much money and reputation threatened widespread significance until his second major transfer target of the summer, Florent Malouda, left his own indelible mark on the contest wearing the blue of Chelsea.
The French international, who Benitez has indicated rejected a move to Anfield only because of the better personal terms on offer at Stamford Bridge, had embodied the frustrations Chelsea encountered in attempting to escape the limpet-like attentions of a Liverpool team inspired by Gerrard in all areas of the pitch. Though Salomon Kalou and John Terry both failed to capitalise on half chances before half-time and the substitute Claudio Pizarro squandered an inviting header at the back post moments after the restart, Mourinho's side had failed to exert any meaningful pressure on Jose Reina in the Liverpool goal until gifted a penalty by Styles in the 62nd minute.
Contact was clearly made by Steve Finnan in the back of Malouda as they converged on a Shaun Wright-Phillips pass but only as a consequence of the left-winger leaping into the Liverpool full-back as he attempted to dummy the ball for the waiting Didier Drogba. Styles, however, saw differently, awarding the spot-kick that allowed Frank Lampard to send Reina the wrong way in the goal where he registered Chelsea's only success in the Champions League semi-final shoot-out.
The Chelsea equaliser was merely the start of a contentious period for the Hampshire official whose generosity with the yellow card appeared to create his own Graham Poll-moment in the 73rd minute. Booking Terry, on his return from a medial knee ligament injury, for remonstrating with the theatrical Torres, Styles also waved a card in the direction of the dissenting Michael Essien for what would have been his second yellow yet failed to produce a red card. It took clarification from the fourth official to explain that the card was meant for the Chelsea captain only, but Liverpool's annoyance would not be satisfied.