Champions League

If that had been given against us we would feel livid - Gerrard

Rafael Benítez insisted the referee, Martin Hansson, was correct to award the last-gasp penalty that rescued Liverpool from defeat last night. Steven Gerrard, the man at the centre of the controversy, was not convinced, however.

Liverpool were staring at a second successive reverse when Gerrard collided with the Atlético defender, Mariano Pernía, in the final minute of their Group D tie at Anfield. To general astonishment, and the visitors' fury, Hansson belatedly pointed to the spot on the advice of an assistant and the Liverpool captain stepped forward to equalise Maxi Rodríguez's opening goal.

Four Atlético players were booked in a chaotic aftermath while a Spanish journalist asked Javier Aguirre, the coach, whether the decision was evidence of a Uefa conspiracy to punish the club for recent crowd trouble at Vicente Calderón. "I didn't see anything untoward going on at all," side-stepped Aguirre, who was restricted to the stand for this game due to a Uefa suspension. "It is not my habit to talk about referees and I am not going to break that habit now."

But Hansson, who had earlier rejected a blatant penalty appeal from Liverpool, received Benítez's backing. Liverpool's manager said: "There should have been a penalty earlier for handball and if the incident had taken place in the middle of the pitch it would have been a foul so, because it was in the box, it was a penalty."

Gerrard had his reservations but denied the penalty was the result of any theatrics on his part. "I'm not sure it was a penalty. I got there first and I think if that is outside the area you get a free-kick," the Liverpool captain said. "If it happened at the other end we would be livid. That's football. It's a point and we move on."

Both Benítez and Gerrard hailed the draw as evidence of Liverpool's character following their first defeat of the season at Tottenham on Saturday, with the Spaniard insisting his side had controlled the majority of the tie. "They had one opportunity in the first half and scored," said Benítez, harshly, "but we had three or four good chances and I am disappointed that we only scored at the very end."

Benítez dismissed concerns over Robbie Keane's display, with the £20.3m striker replaced by the rookie David Ngog in the 79th minute. "He is working hard and he is doing his job," said the Spaniard. "Sometimes you change strikers when you need a goal because the striker you bring on can be lucky."

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