Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun continued his impressive start to the season with an assist in his side’s crucial league win over Manchester United on Sunday.

Playing right-midfield in place of the injured Steven Gerrard, the Israel captain gave United left-back Patrice Evra a torrid afternoon with his surging runs.

With his side having lost four successive games, Liverpool’s title hopes were on the line until Benayoun fashioned a defence-splitting pass for Fernando Torres who scored the side’s opener in the 65th minute.

The 2-0 win lifted the pressure offmanager Rafael Benitez, who has made Benayoun his key creative player since the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid in the summer. The midfielder, who has already scored four times in 13 appearances, is finally coming into his own in his third season with the Merseyside giants.

And Torres, who has been a grateful recipient of the Israeli’s creative thrusts this season, identified the 29-year-old as one of the team’s foremost players. The Spaniard said: “Liverpool have a fantastic team, with the likes of myself, Dirk Kuyt, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun.”