"We kept going and going last night and the tempo of our game was fantastic from start to finish. I was so proud of the players," he said.
"We have had so many games to play and so many big ones coming up that the only thing I am thinking of at the moment is recuperating the players and giving them a chance to rest.
"We have some very tired players right now but they gave everything against Arsenal and in the end got the three points their performance deserved.
"Xabi is one of the players who is tired at the moment," added Benitez about Alonso's subsitution last night. "We will have to see if he is fit for Saturday's game."