"Torres, Kuyt and Alonso were really tired. We had to play extra-time with 10 men in a Cup replay, and then come here two days later. They were so tired. I talked with the medical and technical staff and made the decision," said Benitez.
"It is not a gamble when you know they are tired. If you ask the players, all of them will say they are fit, but you have to decide based on all the information.
"From the first minute we were playing really well, passing the ball and controlling the game.
"It was really disappointing to make a mistake to concede the goal, and after that another mistake. But we deserved to win because we worked hard and played well."