"We knew it was really important to beat United in terms of the confidence of the team. But now we know that if we want to be at the top of the table, we have to keep on winning," said Benitez.
"This kind of game, against a rival in a derby, is always a test and we're going to have to play well to win.
"If we can win, then the confidence will be really, really high in the team.
"The derby is a different game, our players are aware of what it means.
"They know the importance of having the balance of passion and still doing the right things.
"I know what the derby means to people. It's funny, but only the other day I was out walking with my wife and a fan, an old woman, came up to me. She was very excited and kept saying 'you have to win the derby, you have to win'.
"You can see the passion. Then another man came up to me. He said he was Evertonian but wanted to shake my hand anyway. He was very polite."