RAFA DELIGHTED WITH DEBUTANT

Jimmy Rice 26 February 2007 Rafa Benitez was delighted with Javier Mascherano after the Argentine made an impressive debut against Sheffield United on Saturday.

The 22-year-old looked comfortable alongside Steven Gerrard in the centre of midfield despite not playing a first-team game since early December. "Everyone could see his commitment," said Benitez. "Javier needed to play. He's been training and he's fit. "It was difficult for him and for Gerrard to play because Sheffield were playing 4-5-1 and pressing really hard, but as soon as we scored and the game was opened up, the two of them started playing better. They could keep the ball and pass it better. "All of the other players were working really hard. For Robbie and Mark Gonzalez, who haven't played a lot of games, to have played here was good. "They saw Mascherano playing in the middle as an anchor man, so the composition of the team was good."