Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is backing Steven Gerrard to hit 200 career goals for the club after watching the 28-year-old reach his century against PSV Eindhoven.
Benitez's side breezed past their Dutch opponents 3-1 last night in a Champions League group match at Anfield.
Gerrard's 76th-minute free-kick was the icing on the cake on a night when £20 million striker Robbie Keane finally broke his duck.
Benitez said: "Stevie's only 28 and I think he can go on to get 200 goals.
"He must be one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, but I'm also so pleased for Robbie. He deserved that goal for his hard work. I hope he will now score his first Premier League goal.
"It was almost the perfect night. It was a really good game for us with lots of positive things, a solid performance with balance and quality.
"Now we must keep on winning. This is a very good start for us, different maybe from last season when we did not start our group matches that well."
Dirk Kuyt opened the scoring for the hosts in the 4th minute before Keane doubled the advantage with 34 minutes gone.
The Irishman, who moved to Liverpool from Tottenham during the summer transfer window, said: "That's got the monkey off my back.
"It's always nice to get your first goal for a new club but other people seemed a lot more worried about it than I was."
Gerrard, meanwhile, is already looking ahead to Liverpool's next Champions League tie against Spanish side Atletico Madrid.
The match is away on Oct 22, and Gerrard said: "We now have six points out of six and if we can beat Atletico Madrid next we will have one foot in the knockout stages.
"There's a great atmosphere here at the moment and winning games gives you more and more confidence and belief.
"However, the most important thing is to put some silverware on the table, that's what really matters at a club like this."
PSV have now lost two out of two and coach Huub Stevens accepted his side had been outclassed.
He said: "If you go behind so quickly, it will always be difficult against a team like Liverpool.
"Our organisation was okay, but Liverpool were just better. A difference in quality, the way they play out from the back is a different level to what we are used to.
"English teams are very strong, they show that in the Champions League every season. We found it hard to contain them.
"For us it is important that our two games against Marseille give us six points. Atletico and Liverpool are very close to qualifying even now.
"They are both very strong. From what I have seen now we have played them both suggests that they are very much the favourites to go through now.
"You see how good the English, Spanish and Italian clubs are. It is a problem for the Netherlands, we are happy to be in the Champions League but it is becoming very difficult to compete."
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發表於 2008-10-2 10:19 PM
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