Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard will be out for three weeks after the club confirmed he suffered a hamstring tear during last night’s FA Cup defeat at Everton. The 28-year-old limped off 16 minutes into the Reds’ fourth-round replay at Goodison Park and is now a doubt for the league games against Portsmouth and Manchester City, as well as the first leg of their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.

A club spokesman told Liverpoolfc.tv: “A scan today has confirmed a tear in the hamstring of Steven’s left leg. He will be out of action for about three weeks.”

Gerrard will also miss England's friendly against Spain in Seville next Wednesday.

Last night Benitez hit back at those who criticised him for substituting Gerrard in the league draw against Wigan a week ago.

"Steven was tired, and he gets injured. He was tired, too, at Wigan but when I took him off there everyone was saying he had to play every single minute of every match. Now you have seen the consequences.

"He asked to be taken off, you could see at Wigan he was struggling and the same thing happened here," said the Spaniard.

Benitez also made a sarcastic reference to the fact England made Gerrard travel to London to assess a previous injury before accepting he was injured earlier this season.

He continued: "Maybe he will have go down to London again like last time for a scan to prove he is injured."

Liverpool were struggling from the moment Lucas was sent off in the second half of normal time and an extra-time goal from youngster Dan Gosling sent the Toffees through.

Benitez said: "We are really disappointed, to play for a long time with 10 men and to concede like that from a deflection at the end, you have to be disappointed.

"The turning point of the game was the second yellow card for Lucas, I was not happy, but I do not want to say anything about the referee."