Rafa hopes Crouch stays

Crouch scored and gave a man of the match performance in yesterday's 1-1 draw against Arsenal. Although the England striker has featured much of late, Benitez says he is still part of his plans and wants him to sign a new contract with Liverpool.

"He is a very good professional, that's why we've offered him a new contract. I have confidence. I know he is happy here but I also know he wants to play. We have offered the contract and now we need to wait," said the Spaniard.

"We are playing at the moment with one striker, but we've played a lot of the season with two. We are a team that is winning trophies and he can be an important part of that."