Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez hailed his rejuvenated team after they recorded the Champions League's biggest win by hammering Besiktas 8-0 at Anfield on Tuesday.

"We try to win trophies and be in the (record) books but if you can't win trophies at least you have a record and that's a positive thing," said Benitez after his side had chalked up their first Group A victory in remarkable style.

He added: "We knew we needed to score and when we scored the first goal they had to go forward and it was easier for our strikers.

"The strikers were good but you must talk about all the team. There were two or three things we could have done better but after a night like that you can't say that."

Liverpool's biggest win in European competition for 27 years kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages with games to come against Porto and Olympique Marseille.

Last season's losing finalists are now third in the group on four points, one more than Besiktas, but three behind Marseille and four adrift of leaders Porto.

"We had the belief that we could qualify and now we know we need to win our next two games and normally we would be there," Benitez said.

"The next one is against Porto and at least we will have confidence and the supporters will believe.

"Porto need to come here to Anfield and they will be worried for sure."

Despite a mis-firing start to their campaign in Europe, with one point from their three previous games, Liverpool never looked back once striker Peter Crouch had opened the scoring.

Yossi Benayoun then made it 2-0 and the Israeli midfielder went on to complete his hat-trick as Liverpool added six more goals in a one-sided second half.