Liverpool striker Fernando Torres

The crisis at Liverpool deepened today when the club discovered that Fernando Torres is expected to be out for six weeks with a torn cartilage suffered in the defeat by Reading in the FA Cup third round last night.

The club also learned that Steven Gerrard, their captain, will be missing for a fortnight with a hamstring strain, while a fractured rib will force Yossi Benayoun to sit out a period of between three and four weeks. Both players were also injured last night.

Liverpool released the news on their website after they learned the results of scans that Gerrard and Torres had earlier today. Torres will require surgery to rectify the problem in his right knee.

The news is another blow for Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, and his team now face a huge challenge to finish in the top four of the Barclays Premier League this season. Liverpool lie seventh in the table and are out of both cups as well as the Champions League.

Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun will miss the games against Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers with Gerrard hoping to return to face Bolton Wanderers on January 30.

If Benayoun is out for three weeks, he will also miss the Bolton match and possibly the Merseyside derby against Everton on February 6.

Torres will not feature in any of those games or further Premier League matches against Arsenal and Manchester City and the two-legged Europa League clash with Unirea Urziceni, of Romania.