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Benitez: Keane will flourish

England - Rafael Benitez believes that Robbie Keane will go from strength to strength after finally scoring his first goal in Liverpool colours.

The 28-year-old Keane has impressed with his work-rate and creativity since joining in a 20.3 million-pound deal from Tottenham in the summer.

But the Republic of Ireland international failed to score in his first 10 games for the Reds before scoring his first goal in the 3-1 Champions League victory over PSV Eindhoven.

Now that he has managed that Benitez has targeted a first Premier League goal for his second biggest signing. Benitez said: "Everyone was talking about this so it was important for him and for us that he scored.

"Maybe now people will talk about his first goal in the Premier League but at least he has now got his first in all competitions.

"A striker is always looking to score goals and he will now be hoping to get his first in the league so he can look to get lots more in the future. It was very important and is one step forward.

"The crowd here are very clever and they know a good player when they see one. Robbie has been a very good player in the Premier League with Tottenham and they knew it would just be a question of time."

Keane insisted he was never concerned about taking time to score his first for Liverpool. The striker said: "It's great, it's a monkey off my back. It's been a few games and I wish it was earlier.

"It was important to get the three points and get the result, that's the main thing. I wasn't really worried about it, it was more people talking about it."

Following the victory over PSV, which took Liverpool's points tally to six points from their two group games so far, Benitez was also able to toast Steven Gerrard's 100th goal for Liverpool.

The Spaniard added: "One hundred goals is always a very good figure, but it is especially good for a midfielder.” He is one of the best offensive midfielders in the world and hopefully he will go on to score many for us in the future."

Gerrard echoed the praise for Keane but insisted the Reds, who have also enjoyed an unbeaten start to their league campaign, are not getting carried away.

The England international said: "It was fantastic for myself and Robbie, good personal milestones but the important thing was to get six points and get into the driving seat in the group.

"It's great for Robbie to get off the mark and I'm sure he will go on and score more now. "But we've won nothing yet. It's a good start, but it's important to take each game as it comes."

PSV's situation looks precarious with no points and a goal difference of minus five from their opening two matches. And the Eindhoven coach Huub Stevens believes it is almost impossible for Dutch clubs to compete on the European stage.

He said: "The financial gap between the Dutch clubs and the rest of Europe is too big now. When you see the players in Italy, Spain and England there is a difference.

"We are just happy to be in the Champions League. It is a problem for the Netherlands."

Stevens has targeted the back-to-back games against Marseille, who also have zero points, as an opportunity for PSV to get on track.

But he concedes that Liverpool and Atletico are now firm favourites to progress from Group B. He added: "I think for us it is important that the two games against Marseille we do well.

"We have to do well but Liverpool and Atletico are both strong and are favourites in this group."

Dirk Kuyt opened the scoring for Liverpool and Keane and Gerrard made it three before Danny Koevermans scored a consolation for PSV.

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