Benítez hails 'near-perfect' performance

Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benítez said it was an "almost perfect night" after his side won 4-0 away to Olympique de Marseille to claim their place in the knockout phase. It completed a remarkable turnaround for the 2007 UEFA Champions League finalists who had failed to win any of their first three Group A games and lost to OM on Matchday 2. Marseille coach Erik Gerets could take some solace from a third-place finish which earned a UEFA Cup berth, but he questioned his players' attitude after they conceded twice in the opening eleven minutes to effectively seal their fate.

Rafael Benítez, Liverpool manager
I'm really proud of my team tonight. We played really well, compact as a unit. We had a lot of opportunities and we didn't concede. I would say it was a perfect night ... almost perfect, you always have things to improve. Everybody wanted to win and we won in style. My players showed character and commitment. We kept the ball or played long when it was necessary. Everybody knows [Steven] Gerrard and [Fernando] Torres are great, but tonight everyone was great. I think we approached the game the right way. It's a great moment for us. We need to enjoy this moment. The name of our next opponents doesn't matter. The most important thing is that my team is growing game after game. We're really confident for the future. I'm sure we'll continue that way.

Erik Gerets, Marseille coach
I feel disappointed. There's a lot of things I need to understand. I'm surprised by the performance of my players. It's the first time I noticed they didn't give 100 per cent. I didn't like their attitude, but I don't want to yell at them. They're old enough and I'm sure they're not going to sleep tonight. Everybody was really focused before the game, but after the first goal we died. We lost and that's a disaster. Individually and collectively, Liverpool were better than us. I would like to congratulate them. They deserved to win. They played the game they had to. My players showed a lot of nerves. We lost the ball too often and we didn't have any chances. We have qualified for the UEFA Cup. Now I hope my players will have a good game at [FC Girondins de] Bordeaux [on Sunday]. We need a victory there. I'll wait until tomorrow to talk to my team. Now I have to relax.