YOSSI BENAYOUN scored two Goal of the Month contenders inside four days this week . . . but is still trying to prove himself at Anfield.

The Israeli schemer followed up his stunning strike at Reading last week with a wonderfully crafted matchwinner at Wigan on Saturday.

But he said afterwards he was still trying to prove that he is good enough to rub shoulders with a world class squad of players.

“It is a great squad and I can’t say I deserve to play in this game or this game, because we have a lot of great players.

“For me the most important thing when I’m on the pitch, whether it’s for 10 minutes or from the start, is to prove that I’m good enough to try to do the things I was lucky enough to do this week.

“We have to respect the decision of the manager. We have a lot of great players so we just have to wait for our chance.

“I am very happy. Of course I’m very happy tonight. I will expect now to go on every game 20 minutes from the end and score!

“The manager didn’t tell me to go on and get a goal. He just said go on and show what you know, what we expect from you, and I tried to do my best. This time it went well.

“I’ve been lucky enough to score twice this week, but for me the most important thing when I’m on the pitch is to work hard for the rest of the team. The goal is a bonus for me.”

Benayoun admitted that it had been a frustrating afternoon until his 75th minute moment of brilliance.

Introduced after 55 minutes for Fabio Aurelio, he explained: “It was a bit frustrating for us until the goal. We missed two or three chances in the first half, but we have a lot of confidence and a lot of quality players.

“We knew that we would get another chance, so it was important to take one and get the three points.

“The goal was just instinct really after a great ball from Pennant, but it was a great moment for me.”

Benayoun also had some words of sympathy for Fernando Torres, who followed up his midweek hat-trick with an unproductive afternoon in front of goal.

“Fernando had a few chances today and had some bad luck, but he is a big player,” added Benayoun.

“We are a team so it doesn’t matter if it’s about Torres or about somebody else. We have to respect the decision of the manager.

“It’s easy for people from outside to say we drew 0-0 against Birmingham because of Fernando not playing, but who’s to say we would have won had he played?

“We have to respect every decision and be ready to play every game and also ready to sit out. This is Liverpool.”

Benayoun’s goal underlined the words of his manager last week, who said that he believed the Israeli international could add creative spark in midfield and help unlock packed defences.

“Yes the manager said some nice things about me last week. If he said them they must be true! But really he brought me here for a reason, but I don’t really like to talk about myself.

“Hopefully I can provide these things but I think we have a lot of players who can do it, a lot of quality players.

“Pennant, Babel, Fernando, Steven Gerrard . . . they are players who can win the game in one moment.

“We have a stronger squad this season, better players like Babel, like Voronin, Torres. They have all made the squad stronger and hopefully we will continue to improve from game to game, because we want to win trophies this season.”

Reds boss Benitez said: “I brought him here for these kind of games.

“When you are trying to find a solution, you need players of creativity and quality, and Yossi gives us that.

“I am not saying he will start every game on the bench, it’s just that in this instance I wanted to do different things.

“Yossi played the other night (in the Carling Cup against Reading) and I needed fresh legs, so I started with (Jermaine) Pennant.

“We created some chances and you need to take them if you want an open game. Because we didn’t we needed to bring on players with different skills and Yossi was good, it was perfect.”

RAFAEL BENITEZ hailed the match-winning qualities of Yossi Benayoun after his second goal of the week brought victory at Wigan.

The Israeli produced a fine winner in the 75th minute after coming on as a substitute early in the second half. It was his first league goal for Liverpool following his goal in the 4-2 Carling Cup win at Reading on Tuesday.

And Liverpool manager Benitez admitted he needed to introduce a player who could make a difference to a side being constantly frustrated in their attempts to break the home team down.

“We knew it could easily have been a draw if we didn’t take our chances,” said Benitez.

“But we have quality players now who can change games and Yossi is one of those.

“I had confidence in him because he has been playing well and scored a great goal against Reading.

“He can be impressive and he can be a match winner for us.”

The impact Benayoun made after replacing Fabio Aurelio hinted at why Benitez brought him from West Ham in the summer.

And the manager acknowledged that last season, when victory at the JJB in December was Liverpool’s first away from home in the Premier League, he might not have had the quality to call on to convert one point into three.

Benitez added: “It was a game that last season we could have drawn or lost. If you have some chances, then sometimes you can score two or three goals and today Fernando Torres had three chances.

“You never know what could have happened last season but now we have better players and a better squad which means we could change the game.

“Because of the quality we now have I was calm in the second half. I knew that we were controlling the game and that I could change players and that if we kept going we could score.”

But in true Benitez fashion, Benayoun’s winning goal takes him no nearer to being guaranteed a starting spot in future games.

“All players in a top side must be patient and keep working because they cannot play every game and Yossi has done that,” said Benitez.

“It is always difficult to leave players out of the squad but as I have explained 100 times in this country I have only got 16 places and it is not easy to have the balance on the bench.

“I have a lot of confidence in Kuyt, Voronin, Torres and also Crouch. You can’t go away with all four strikers. You must leave one behind.

“To go away with three strikers when we have Benayoun who can play as a second striker, is hard.

“All the players need to understand that I am looking for fresh legs and the best qualities of the players for each game. If some players play well, I feel they must keep playing. That is not a problem.”

YOSSI BENAYOUN has revealed he is happy to continue playing cameo roles as long as they help contribute to Liverpool victories.

Benayoun’s first Premier League goal for Liverpool brought them victory at Wigan on Saturday after he came on as a substitute in the 56th minute.

The former West Ham midfielder was appearing in the league for only the third time in a Liverpool shirt and the 0-0 draw at Portsmouth two weeks ago remains the only time he has been in the starting line-up.

But after taking his chance in the side with a goal against Reading in the 4-2 Carling Cup win in midweek, Benayoun was delighted just to play a part in Liverpool extending their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Benayoun, who sat out the previous week’s goalless draw with Birmingham because of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, said: “I will take this every game – coming on with 20 minutes to go and scoring, as long as we keep winning.

“I’m really happy to score but that doesn’t matter so long as we get the results.

“The most important thing, even if I’m only on for 10 minutes or so, is to prove I am good enough and contribute like that.

“If the manager says I can make a difference then I believe him but I’m here for a reason and that’s to provide moments like that.

“You have to be ready for everything here and I am. We have a great squad, full of talented players, and I would not tell anyone I should be playing – but I am ready if needed.”

The Israeli’s strike 15 minutes from time enabled Liverpool to match the scoreline Arsenal achieved at West Ham, and kept them within four points of Arsene Wenger’s leaders.

Julius Aghahowa missed a last-gasp sitter to save a point for Wigan but the margin of victory could already have been greater as Fernando Torres spurned several chances to add to his six-goal tally.

The Spaniard was restored to that starting line-up after being benched for the previous two Premier League games but Benayoun defended both Torres’s performance and his manager Rafael Benitez’s rotation policy.

“Fernando missed some chances but I think he played really well,” said Benayoun. “I think everyone realises what a big player he is for us. He has real quality but we are a team, and you have to respect every decision the manager makes.

“People put pressure on because Torres didn’t play against Birmingham but no-one here makes promises that we’d have won even if he had been on from the start.

“We have a lot who can win a game in one moment – Voronin, Torres, Stevie, Babel – we have a much stronger squad even when things go against us.”

Benayoun also acknowledged the importance of the timing of his goal, which averted a third successive goalless draw in the league for Liverpool.

He added: “It was an important goal today because if we’d have drawn there would have been a lot of pressure on us. It is a good win because Wigan are a good side and will take a lot of points off teams here. They deserve a lot of credit.

“It was very frustrating seeing what was happening, because we’d missed three or four chances and you do wonder if it is going to be a day when they don’t go in.

“But one thing we have is a lot of confidence that we could win, because at least we were creating a lot. We’ve got the quality in the side to do that.”

Benitez’s side suffered no fresh injury concerns ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League group game at home to Marseille, although Jermaine Pennant will miss the game through suspension.

ISRAEL captain Yossi Benayoun declared Steven Gerrard the “best midfielder in the world” and believes his Liverpool team-mate will do everything he can to be fit to play for England at Wembley on Saturday.

The Anfield skipper is currently hampered by a broken toe, with England coach Steve McClaren refusing to rule out the possibility of defying Reds boss Rafael Benitez and giving Gerrard a pain-killing injection to play for his country in the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier.

McClaren maintains key midfielder Gerrard is keen to play through the pain barrier, even through Benitez has warned against any such treatment, claiming it took the 27-year-old “four or five days” to get over the jab he had prior to his side’s recent Premier League draw with Chelsea.

Benayoun joined Liverpool from West Ham in a £5million deal during the summer and is in no doubt his Anfield team-mate will be determined to pull on the England shirt again this weekend.

“I think Steven Gerrard is the best midfielder in the world, so it is very important for England that he will play,” Benayoun said.

FORMER Liverpool defender Avi Cohen is backing Yossi Benayoun to be a big hit at Anfield.

Benayoun was meeting Rafa Benitez at Melwood today to finalise his transfer from West Ham.

Both the 25-year-old attacking midfielder and Ajax winger Ryan Babel are expected to compete their moves to the Reds within the next 24 hours.

Cohen was the first Israeli to play for the Reds when he joined the club from Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1979 and he is excited to see his fellow countryman follow in his footsteps.

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"He is a star here but this is the chance for Yossi to become a big name around the world," said Cohen, who is now chairman of the Israel Professional Footballers Association.

"Yossi has played very well for West Ham and has already shown he has got the ability and talent to perform at the highest level.

"He is very skilful and clever. He is good at being able to spot the right pass to play.

"Liverpool have been looking for someone like him and I'm sure he will get into the side and be a great success.

"He can play as a striker or out wide and I think he will suit Liverpool's style of play very well."

Benayoun will become the third Israeli to play for the Reds, following in the footsteps of Cohen and striker Ronnie Rosenthal.

SVEN GORAN ERIKSSON is hoping to hijack Liverpool’s move for Yossi Benayoun.

The Manchester City manager-elect has already earmarked his first transfer target, even before signing his three-year contract at Eastlands.

And he wants West Ham’s Israeli captain.

The Reds made an initial bid in excess of £1.5m more than a week ago for the midfielder, but it was instantly dismissed by West Ham.

The Reds have not made a renewed offer, hoping The Hammers’ desire to recruit a striker will lead to a possible exchange deal with Craig Bellamy.

And Benayoun is prepared to be patient.

The player’s agent, Ronen Katzav, said: “We are still waiting.

“The deal is still in place with West Ham. We are waiting to see if the two clubs can come to an agreement.

“I am not going to say Yossi is desperate for a move at all, but it is only natural – any player in the world would be attracted by Liverpool.”

West Ham agreed a new three-year contract with Benayoun, who Rafa Benitez sees as a replacement in his squad for the departed Bolo Zenden, but it has remained unsigned since Liverpool made their interest known.

Eriksson’s City backers believe a contract worth around £3m-a-year – terms Liverpool are unlikely to match – will persuade Benayoun to choose City.

Another Reds target, meanwhile, Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres, is ready to confront club officials in an effort to break the deadlock over his proposed move.

The Spanish international striker is enthusiastic about the prospect of a move to Anfield, but fears he is being priced out of a switch.

He intends outlining his misgivings to president Enrique Cerezo.

Atletico’s £27million asking price is proving a stumbling block, although Liverpool are hoping a player-exchange could solve the impasse.

Benitez told the ECHO last week that Djibril Cisse will not be allowed out on loan again, and he could be used as a makeweight in the deal.

A move to La Liga may well appeal to Cisse, who recently bought a Spanish holiday home in Sitges.