Benitez banishes away blues

Benitez: Away form back

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes his side have finally overcome their troubles away from home after their second successive away win.

The Reds ran out 2-0 winners at Sunderland thanks to goals either side of half time from Mohamed Sissoko and Andrei Voronin.

"It was really good, really important for us," Benitez told Sky Sports 1.

"The players showed character and played well and we had a lot of chances.

"We killed the game at the end but it could have been before.

"We had chances that maybe could have been in before (the second goal) but in this period when everyone was talking about our performances away last season, I think it was really important to win the match."

Praise

"It was important to see different players doing the job," he added. "It showed how strong our squad is now."

Injury worries

Benitez also revealed that key defender Jamie Carragher, who left the field in the second half through injury, would have an X-ray on a suspected broken rib.

Sami Hyypia also left the pitch in the first half with what was later confirmed as a broken nose.