The Reds captain was replaced by Lucas Leiva midway through the second-half of Saturday's match, which Liverpool won 2-1 thanks to two penalties from Dirk Kuyt.

"When you are a manager you need to make decisions, not just think about them," Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv. "You must think how you can win the game. Every player is the same for me when you are trying to win a game.

"We have talked because every player would be disappointed, especially Gerrard because it was a derby. He wanted to score the winning goal, but he is okay. After some time he'll understand that it was an idea and I was thinking about the best for the team."

Gerrard looked disappointed to be withdrawn and Benitez said he was not surprised by the reaction.

"You know when you change a player he must show that he wants to play, but I think he was okay at the end," the Spaniard added.

www.liverpoolfc.tv