Benítez lauds Liverpool control

Rafael Benítez praised the professionalism of his Liverpool FC players after a Peter Crouch goal completed a 4-0 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. The manager was pleased his side came through "a difficult game" and declared that they "may have an advantage" in playing the second leg of their semi-final against Chelsea FC at home. PSV coach Ronald Koeman insisted his team "deserved a better result" but noted that any realistic chance of winning the tie disappeared when they were defeated 3-0 in the Netherlands last week.

Rafael Benítez, Liverpool manager
It was a difficult game. They had plenty of possession but we controlled the game. The idea was to keep it tight and score a goal to kill off the match. After the sending-off it was easy. To see three English teams in the semi-final shows the Premier League to be very strong. We know Chelsea and they know us. We know they are a very difficult team to play against. They have had five years of spending big money and they have a very good, big squad. If we can do something at Stamford Bridge, we may have an advantage playing the second leg at Anfield - but they played very well on the counterattack last night.

Ronald Koeman, PSV coach
The way we played, we deserved a better result. The referee's decision [for the sending-off] didn't help. We played with good organisation and discipline and we had an excellent chance with [Jefferson] Farfán but we didn't take it - and obviously when you play a team like Liverpool you need to take your chances. Looking back, the campaign has been positive. We were looking for a better result in the first match but that wasn't to be. We played well in midfield but we are looking for some security up front. It's a great success for English football [to have three semi-finalists]. They have done well in the last few years and are in a strong position. They have money, good players and good managers. This has been a successful season for them.