And Benitez believes the player could have had an important role in the match.
Benitez said: "We lost Craid Bellamy this time with a calf injury in the final training session, and his pace and running would have been a major influence on what we were doing."
And Benitez admitted the lack of goal scoring chances was of concern.
"We played well on the wings and between the lines but we did not make enough chances. That is where we must improve. Away from home we need to win to improve confidence. We are controlling long spells of games, getting the ball into danger areas but not causing defences problems," he said.
