Rafa Benitez refused to criticise Fernando Torres after another uninspired performance saw him booed off by the Stamford Bridge crowd during Chelsea’s shock 2-0 defeat to Swansea in the Capital One Cup.

The £50 million man was withdrawn in favour of Demba Ba on 81 minutes to a less than complimentary reception from the stands as his side trailed to a clinical Michu finish on the stroke of half-time.

It was the first sign that Blues fans have run out of patience with Torres, but Benitez insists his countryman should not be singled out for the defeat, and is adamant he is pleased with his side’s performance.

When it was put to him that Ba accomplished more in nine minutes than the man he replaced had mustered in 81, the Chelsea boss countered: “I think we had chances at the end, but as a team we were creating chances from the first minute. It’s not just one player or the striker.

“You have Mata, Ramires, David Luiz – 23 attempts, so if you are playing against a team who is deep and you still have a lot of attempts. I’m happy with the way the team was working. I don’t think we can talk about one player.

“We had a lot of chances, and could have scored two or three in the first half, one or two in the second half. We made two mistakes and paid for them. This is the reality.

“The team was attacking, playing possession and controlling against a good team who were defending.”

The atmosphere of anger around Stamford Bridge turned positively poisonous as Danny Graham added a second for the visitors late on, but Benitez insists his team were not distracted by events off the pitch.

“You analyse all these things because we lost, but the way we played, the control we had, the chances we created, is what we have to do,” he added.

“We have to be more clinical in front of goal, but we were doing a lot of things really well.”

The Spaniard also defended Branislav Ivanovic, whose two horrendous errors directly led to both goals, and praised the Serb’s courage.

“Any player making mistakes is not a big issue,” he continued. “The main thing is they try to do things after, and Ivanovic was trying to do his best, and the team was creating chances.

“It’s something that can happen in football, and the main thing is to keep going for the next game.”

Swansea’s victory – their first at Stamford Bridge since 1925 – leaves Chelsea’s Capital One Cup hopes all but shattered, but Benitez remains adamant one goal at the Liberty Stadium could reverse his side’s fortunes.

“They have a great advantage, but we have to go there and score a goal, and then we will be in the game,” he concluded.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is relishing the prospect of being able to call upon striker Fabio Borini, as the Italian nears a return to first-team action.

The 21-year-old has been out for three months after undergoing surgery on a fractured foot, meaning the Reds have been forced to cope with Luis Suarez as their only senior striking option.

And, despite the Uruguayan seemingly thriving under the pressure – having notched 19 goals already this season – Rodgers is keen to get Borini back.

“Other clubs have the depth to bring people off the bench and make an impact,” Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.

“We have been unable to do that in the opening months of the season, which gives incredible credit to the players who have kept us going until now.
 
“We have Daniel here now and will have Fabio fit soon and that will give us that spark. Hopefully over the years Fabio can develop into a top performer which I think he can be.”

Rodgers also took time out to praise young defender Andre Wisdom, after the 19-year-old signed a new long-term deal at Anfield.

“I’m delighted for Andre,” Rodgers told the club’s official website. “He’s a young player that’s really impressed me with his attitude and football qualities over the course of these first six months and he’s grabbed his opportunity.

“I’m delighted he’s committed and sees his future here at the football club and the hard work starts again for him.

“It’s a really exciting time for Andre and all the young players at the club. I’m as delighted as I was when Luis Suarez signed a new deal in the summer because every player that commits is a symbol of our togetherness and our unity here – and he obviously wants to be a part of that.

“For Andre the message is to continue to work hard and learn from the great coaches and the people that are around you and make sure that your next contract is signed here at Liverpool.”

After the excitement of FA Cup third round weekend, those teams that emerged unscathed from any potential banana skins can begin to set their sights on a trip to Wembley in May.

Chelsea are more familiar with the home of the FA Cup than most, having won four of the six finals since the new stadium was unveiled in 2007, and the holders are understandably favourites at 4/1 (5.00) with to lift the trophy once again following their impressive 5-1 win away to Southampton.

No team have won the world’s oldest domestic cup competition on more occasions than Manchester United.

The Red Devils are available at 9/2 (5.50) to come through their replay against West Ham and emerge victorious for the first time since 2004, a price which is sure to shorten should the Premier League leaders get past the Hammers.

However, Alex Ferguson’s men are most likely to concentrate their energy on wrestling back the Premier League title from neighbours Manchester City, who will not want to end the season empty-handed.

Roberto Mancini’s men will be hard-pressed to catch United at home, and their early exit from the Champions League makes the FA Cup all the more important in order so save their season.

These factors mean they seem like much better value for the same 9/2 (5.50) odds to take back the trophy they won two seasons ago.

Tottenham are ticking along nicely under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, and are available at 8/1 (9.00) to add to their impressive haul of nine victories in this competition this season, the last of which came way back in 1991.

North London rivals Arsenal hardly need reminding that they have not won any silverware since picking up the FA Cup in 2005, and they are priced at 9/1 (10.00) to overcome Swansea at the second time of asking before going on to win the competition.

Last season’s beaten finalists Liverpool are also available at 9/1 (10.00), and a seemingly favourable draw against League One Oldham could make them seem like a good option to go all the way for the first time since 2006.

However, with inconsistent side still in the early stages of a long rebuilding process, their Merseyside rivals Everton look like the dark horses to back this season, at tempting odds of 9/1 (10.00).

The Toffees are reaping the rewards of 10 steady years under the command of David Moyes, and have demonstrated their ability to go toe-to-toe with any side in the top flight this season, meaning the Scot could be set to finally break his trophy duck after finishing as runner-up in 2009 and taking his side to the semi-finals last season.

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Al Hain-Cole is a Liverpool fan, experienced tipster and avid follower of European football. He specialises in accumulators and if you would like to read more from Al you can follow him on Twitter here.

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