The Reds ended a run of four defeats by beating their rivals, following second-half goals from Fernando Torres and David Ngog.
Benitez told Sky Sports: “The players showed character and the fans were behind the players, we had 12 men.
“The mentality was good, everyone was working together, plus the ‘keeper (Jose Reina) to the last fan on the Kop. The players answered a lot of questions, that is the most important thing.”
Benitez added when asked what the result proved: “For me that the team is better than people think, and it shows the character and quality that we have.
“I was not really angry (about the speculation surrounding his future), I was just trying to be focused on my job. The only way to change things in football is to win games.”
