Rafa Benitez

RAFA BENITEZ leapt to the defence of Javier Mascherano after he was sent off in yesterday's 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

The Argentine midfielder picked up a second yellow card just before the break for showing dissent towards referee Steve Bennett.

Mascherano, who had earlier been booked for clattering into Paul Scholes, approached Bennett to protest over the yellow card dished out to Fernando Torres and was left stunned when the official dismissed him.

Benitez said: "For me the sending off was very difficult to understand.

"Mascherano was really surprised at the decision because he thought he said nothing wrong.

"Ryan Babel heard everything and told me Mascherano was just asking why Torres had been booked.

"I don't think asking what happened is a big problem.

"The player knows he made a mistake by going up to the referee but in a big game like this how can you send someone off just for asking?

"We're talking about professionals in a big game. They have passion and want to win. To leave one team with 10 players for something like that is tough to take."

Mascherano will serve an automatic one-match ban but could face further punishment due to his ongoing protests after being sent off.

Benitez raced to the touchline in a bid to calm down the midfielder.

"I was talking with him in Spanish and I was just saying 'it's finished, you cannot change the situation'," Benitez said. "He was saying 'but I didn't say anything, I was just asking'.

"Mascherano is a fantastic professional and has been for years. He plays at the maximum level and he was just so surprised. He could not understand it and just wanted to know why he had been sent off."

United already led after Wes Brown's goal and Benitez admitted the sending off effectively ended the contest.

Only Pepe Reina's heroics kept the contest alive in the second half until late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani rubbed salt into the wounds.

"Before the sending off we had some chances but with 10 players forget it – the game was finished," Benitez said.

"We were pressing a little bit in the second half but they have quality and ability so it was difficult for us. When the second goal went in it was over.

"We made some mistakes and it's really disappointing but we can't change the situation now and we must think about the next game.

“We have an international break now which we cannot control and then we must focus on the Everton game."

Benitez refused to comment on whether he thought Bennett's decision to send off Mascherano had been influenced by the furore surrounding Ashley Cole's behaviour against Spurs and the debate about respecting officials.

"I don't know, you must ask him," he said. But the Reds boss was clearly fuming about some of the treatment dished out to Torres and the lack of protection Bennett gave him.

"I have my own opinion but I will keep it to myself," he added.

"Today we've seen a lot of things we don't need to talk too much about – like problems with the referee – because it was very clear."