Fernando Torres was delighted to deliver Liverpool's winner in last night's 1-0 triumph over Aston Villa.

Torres scored in the third minute of stoppage time after the ball fortuitously broke to him in the box to settle a clash at Villa Park which had appeared to be heading for stalemate.

"We needed to win to be close to the top four. It was a massive game for us," said Torres.

"Last season we kept working until the end and got points in extra time, like today."

Rafael Benitez paid tribute to his star forward, saying: "He's a very, very good player, a key player for us and his record is amazing. I'm really, really pleased for him and for the team."