BY Goal.com

The shots that once crossed the country ad nauseum between Anfield and Stamford Bridge seemed to have died down altogether following Jose Mourinho’s departure from West London last September.

However, Benitez has reopened fire following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Chelsea in the Merseyside leg of their Champions League semi-final, claiming he has a veritable library of video evidence that clearly demonstrates Drogba’s propensity for simulation.

"He is amazing because he is massive [and yet he goes down]," said Benitez. "It is very impressive.

"I have a lot of clips of him from over the years. We have played Chelsea 15 times and every time I have collected more clips.

"I have shown them to some of the players. I think [Martin] Skrtel and Carra [Jamie Carragher] were really good against him the other day but the referee was giving fouls.

"That is why it is important to have a good referee with Drogba, because you can't do anything [to stop him going down]. Drogba was given seven fouls and [Fernando] Torres only three, yet Torres has bruises all over his body."

But even if Benitez was the one to relight the flame, it was not necessarily he who provided the new sparks between Liverpool and their London rivals.

Blues boss Avram Grant recently gushed to the press regarding his admiration for Reds skipper Steven Gerrard, and said: "If you can bring him to me, I will be happy."

It is no secret that the England international was on the brink of signing for Chelsea in 2005, and some quarters have denounced Grant’s comments as a crude attempt to unsettle Gerrard.

But Benitez insists that his captain’s loyalty and intensity cannot be questioned ahead of Wednesday’s return leg, and he fully expects the 27-year-old to lead from the front as the Liverpool pursue an essential away goal at Stamford Bridge.

"The players have experience in massive games and know it will be really important to be focused," Benitez said. "Gerrard was saying that he needs to be the one to lead by example and I think the team will be ready.

"The game will be more or less the same because I don't see them waiting. If you play a waiting game at home and lose, the supporters will kill you."

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