"Everyone could see his commitment. Javier needed to play. He's been training and he's fit," said Rafa Benitez.
"It was difficult for him and for Gerrard to play because Sheffield were playing 4-5-1 and pressing really hard, but as soon as we scored and the game was opened up, the two of them started playing better. They could keep the ball and pass it better.
"All of the other players were working really hard. For Robbie and Mark Gonzalez, who haven't played a lot of games, to have played here was good.
"They saw Mascherano playing in the middle as an anchor man, so the composition of the team was good."