Real Madrid 0 Liverpool 1:REAL MADRID may crave artistry in the Champions League but it is Rafael Benitez who revels in achievement. There can be no more dangerous place to find the Liverpool manager and his team than with their backs to the wall and, not for the first time, they struck out to seize another notable scalp last night.

There were just eight minutes remaining of a cagey contest when Liverpool, with Fernando Torres limping to join Steven Gerrard on the bench, secured a precious away win and edged towards the quarter-finals. Yossi Benayoun, who arguably would not have started had his captain been fit, was left unmarked at a Fabio Aurelio free-kick to send an unstoppable header beyond Iker Casillas. The performance, as with the goal, was textbook Liverpool.

Real have not reached the last eight of the Champions League since 2004. Their wait appears destined to continue on this evidence as their guile was pitiful in comparison to Liverpool’s tenacity and organisation.

Rumours of Benitez’s impending departure from Anfield had circulated before kick-off, the culmination of Merseyside whispers following the draw against Manchester City and given ridiculous credence by Sky Sports News following a bookmakers’ decision to suspend betting on the Spaniard leaving before the weekend.

A few things to bear in mind; Benitez would walk away from roughly €4.5 million should he quit his existing contract now and Tom Hicks remains determined to secure his manager on a new deal despite the frustrations of trying to obtain that signature.

After the match Benitez insisted he was unaware of rumours: “I didn’t know, I was talking with my friends here in Spain and concentrating on the game.” Asked if there was any truth in the rumours, he said: “No, clearly I was thinking about the game. There are important games coming up and I want to concentrate just on the games, and I’ll keep in touch with the owners.”

Of more genuine relevance to the tie was the continued absence of Gerrard with a hamstring tear. An indication of how remote were the captain’s prospects of facing Real came when Gerrard did not take part in the pre-match warm-up, despite being named on the substitutes’ bench.

Liverpool’s task increased in difficulty without the midfielder’s influence to call on, although another resolute defensive display away in Europe provided the foundation for hope at Anfield on 10 March 10th. Real served notice of how invaluable Liverpool’s resilience would be with a commanding opening in which Arjen Robben pierced the visiting backline only for Raul to sweep an awkward shot straight at Jose Reina. In terms of threats on Reina’s goal, however, it proved a false dawn.

In contrast to a Real defence spread wide across a vast Bernabeu pitch, there was little more than a packet of Rizla’s between Liverpool’s four defenders. The Spaniards’ attempts to prise them open with a series of exquisite cross-field passes into the corners provoked no tactical indiscipline. Though Marcelo and Robben shot harmlessly wide on occasions, Sergio Ramos had a headed goal correctly disallowed for offside and Gonzalo Higuain worked tirelessly in attack, it was Liverpool who created the clearer chances of the first half.

Torres’s return to Madrid, and the former Atletico idol’s search for a first goal and victory at the Bernabeu, was mostly limited to pursuing long balls into the corners. The ball was a luxury item for Liverpool at times, while the commitment to defending in numbers bore resemblance to the tactics that so enrage Benitez when deployed against him at Anfield.

Still, they can succeed against expressive teams and with frustration mounting among the home ranks Liverpool found space to have exploited their gameplan to the full in the second half. Their efforts were not helped by the withdrawal of Torres with 28 minutes remaining, an arduous night against former rivals brought to an abrupt end by a first half injury to his right ankle. Robben stung Reina’s palms from 25 yards but it was Real who were left smarting.

• Guardian Service

REAL MADRID:Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Robben, Gago, Lassana Diarra, Marcelo (Guti 46), Higuain, Raul.Subs not used: Dudek, Saviola, Sneijder, Metzelder, Miguel Torres, Van der Vaart. Booked: Cannavaro, Gago.

LIVERPOOL:Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio, Benayoun, Alonso, Mascherano, Riera (Gerrard 88), Torres (Babel 61), Kuyt (Lucas 90). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Ngog. Booked: Torres, Mascherano, Riera.

Referee:Roberto Rosetti (Italy).