Liverpool great John Aldridge has highlighted the importance of Christian Benteke's debut goal for the Reds.

Aldridge believes the goal would take the pressure off the £32.5million signing and would inspire him to scale greater heights with the club.

Aldridge writes in his column for Liverpool Echo: "It was really, really important for Christian Benteke to get off the mark so early in his Liverpool career.

"I was lucky enough to score on my home debut against Southampton in a 1-0 win and it really takes the pressure off. The monkey is off his back now and I still remember how long it took for Peter Crouch to get his first goal in a red shirt.

"Benteke did well in the game generally and it was great from my point of view to see his power and strength.

"He provided an outlet ball and took a lot of the pressure off our defenders."