The Reds crush 5 against Villa
Liverpool are breathing down Manchester United's necks in the Premier League title race after destroying fifth-placed Aston Villa 5-0.
It was the third stunning Liverpool victory in 12 days, having previously put four past Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The champions' lead is now one point - they also have a game in hand - but Liverpool have now scored more goals than Sir Alex Ferguson's men and have also wiped out their goal-difference advantage.
Villa had no answer to a side with a driven desire to take the title from under United's noses.
Steven Gerrard scored a hat-trick with a free-kick and two penalties, with the latter one following the dismissal of goalkeeper Brad Friedel for bringing down Reds striker Fernando Torres.
In the first-half Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera had scored, before Gerrard took over with his set-piece onslaught.
Liverpool had Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa back from respective ankle and hamstring injuries that ruled them out of last weekend's win at Manchester United, with Sami Hyypia and Lucas relegated to the bench.
They were joined there by defender Daniel Agger, who has only played one game since mid-December after a variety of injury problems.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill left out striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, who has scored only twice since before Christmas and was booed by his club's own fans last weekend. Defender Zat Knight was also on the bench, with John Carew and Curtis Davies back in the side.
There was still a solemn start to the proceedings, with a minute's silence following the death yesterday of 56-year-old club secretary Bryce Morrison, after he had flown back from the Champions League draw in Switzerland.
Morrison, who had worked at Anfield for 17 years, suffered a heart attack at home. Both teams wore black armbands.
The game got off to a blistering start, and after eight minutes Liverpool were ahead.
Alonso's header from Gerrard's free-kick cracked against the bar, and Dirk Kuyt reacted quickest to blast the ball home from 12 yards.
At the other end Ashley Young's cross arrowed in from the left and Carew's flick at the near post almost caught out Jose Reina - but the goalkeeper tipped the ball over the angle.
The contest was ferocious, and Gerrard was then rightly booked for a fierce, late, challenge on Davies.
Then Reina made another outstanding save to his left to claw away a towering header from Carew - who played under Benitez at Valencia.
Liverpool were relentless and after 33 minutes they claimed a second goal.
Reina's 80-yard clearance was allowed to bounce once on the edge of the area by a Villa defence pre-occupied with Torres and Riera took full advantage by smashing the dropping ball high into the net.
It could have been three when Arbeloa intercepted a bad Friedel clearance inside the Villa box, but he chose to pass to Torres rather than shooting himself.
But the third was not long coming. After 39 minutes Riera controlled a searching crossfield pass from Kuyt, and was brought down in the box by Nigel Reo-Coker. Gerrard smashed home the spot-kick.
Any thoughts of a Villa revival were crushed after 50 minutes when Carlos Cuellar brought down Kuyt on the edge of the box and Gerrard drilled the free-kick low to Friedel's left and into the bottom corner.
Former Reds striker Emile Heskey had a header held by Reina, but was by now being employed on the left trying to halt Arbeloa and Kuyt's flow down the flank - with Young switched to a central attacking role.
The ploy did not last long - Agbonlahor replaced Heskey after 58 minutes, with Young back on the line- but things got worse for Villa after 63 minutes when Friedel was dismissed for clashing with Torres and Gerrard drilled home the fifth past Villa's reserve keeper Brad Guzan.
Lucas, Agger and David Ngog replaced Alonso, Arbeloa and Gerrard in the closing minutes of a comprehensive victory.
Benitez was disappointed from the point that Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel was sent off for conceding Liverpool's second penalty - which resulted in their final goal.
From then on, with 25 minutes left, the Anfield men took their foot off the gas.
They had already overhauled United's once superior goal difference and have now scored more times than the champions this season.
"There were times after the fifth goal when we should have gone on and scored more,'' said Benitez. "We should have kept going, scored more and made sure that our goal difference was better when we were playing against 10 men.
"You never know what we will need, how many more goals we could have scored during that period. Don't get me wrong. I was happy with the performance and the result, but we should have gone on and scored more.''
Benitez is content now that Liverpool have put themselves back into a position from which they can help shape their own destiny.
"As far as the title chase is concerned, we just have to keep doing our job - we must not be concerned about United's results and how they are playing,'' he believes. "If United do make mistakes we must be ready, and that means carrying on doing what we are doing and winning points.
"We are playing well, and they will see that we are playing well and trying to win every game. We have eight games left, and every one must be won - and be treated as a cup final. Certainly we must maintain this momentum, and when we are playing well it just increases confidence.
"We now have an international break, so the players must come back from that, re-group and start playing again just as we are at the moment.''
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill conceded his side were overpowered.
"We were well beaten by an exceptional Liverpool side,'' he said. "But we did contribute to our own downfall. At 1-0 down, we gave away an unbelievably bad goal. It was a shocking mistake. Liverpool have had two remarkable results before this game, beating Real Madrid and Manchester United - and they certainly did not need any help from us to achieve what they wanted.
"We played poorly. We gave away some lousy goals and we have to get back on track. We were doing fine four or five weeks ago, but we were well beaten by a better side. But we are a better side than we showed in this game.''
Benitez also paid tribute to Liverpool secretary Bryce Morrison, who died yesterday morning. "Bryce is a big loss to this club, and this has been a big week for us. But this is a very sad day,'' he said. (ESPN)
