Rodgers hails Benteke impact

London - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Christian Benteke gives his side a different dimension and hailed his performance against Bournemouth on Monday.

The Belgian international scored on his home debut to make it two wins out of two in the Premier League.

"I thought he was a real handful, you saw all the facets of his game," Rodgers said.

"His hold-up play is outstanding, he's got a wonderful touch for a big guy and you saw that this evening.

"Because of his physicality and contact, he keeps the ball alive in a dangerous area of the field," the Northern Irishman added.

"It gives us a different dimension to our game, whilst looking to retain that philosophy to move the ball and get fluency."

Benteke was pleased to mark his Anfield debut with a winning goal, but was equally happy with his team's second consecutive clean sheet.

"It was important for me on my debut at Anfield to score and help the team win," he said.

Liverpool will now travel to the Emirates stadium to take on Arsenal on Monday.