I may have broken my duck for Liverpool, but my job is not scoring goals, says Mascherano

Liverpool's £18.6m Argentinian, reckoned by boss Rafael Benitez to be the best holding midfielder in the world, finally scored his first goal in English football on Saturday as Liverpool beat Reading 2-1 at Anfield.

And afterwards Benitez insisted that he wants to see the 23-year-old get into more scoring positions around the edge of the box.

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But Mascherano is not renowned for goalscoring, having hit only one in 111 previous first-team appearances for Corinthians, River Plate, West Ham and now Liverpool.

And the midfielder says of Benitez's challenge: "I think the manager was joking. It would be nice to score more goals but I don't think there are many holding midfielders who score lots of goals.

"In this position you have to play deep and try to keep the balance of the team and that is the most important thing for me.

"I will try to score more goals but I know that I have to do my own job first."

But that has not stopped Mascherano cherishing his 20-yard cracker against Reading. He said: "It was an incredible moment.

"I had not scored a goal since I was at River Plate, so to score one for Liverpool - and in front of the Kop as well - was really special.

"I cannot really describe the feeling but I know I celebrated like I had gone crazy. Some of the lads in the dressing room said I was like Inzaghi in the Champions League final!

"It just meant so much to me and it was important also for the team because we had just gone a goal behind."

Benitez is now preparing his side for five crucial games that will define Liverpool's season.

He said: "We now have a very tough spell. Everyone kept saying that because of that we had to win our three home league games with West Ham, Newcastle and now Reading. We have now done that.

"Now we have really difficult games and we needed these seven wins beforehand.

"Now we have five very hard games, three with Arsenal plus Everton and Manchester United away next week. We will only think of each one as it arrives, you cannot start to worry about what is ahead."

He added: "The first one is the most important. If we can keep our momentum then it will be easier going into the second one. We must not waste our time thinking too far ahead.

"We started the season playing well, winning a lot of games, scoring plenty of goals and we were unbeaten in the league until December.

"Still we have only lost three league games, our problem has been drawing too many and we are aware of that.

"If we had won just three of those drawn matches things would be very different."

Liverpool are now eight points behind leaders Manchester United, who they meet on Sunday at old Trafford.

Benitez said: "How near we finish to the top now will be interesting. We have been criticised this season, but let us see where we are in three or four weeks.

"We have important games and if we win them we will be a lot closer. If we can beat Manchester United we will be closer to the top, and that will give us more confidence.

"If we beat Everton after that then we will be closer still. Maybe, maybe we can be closer if we do not talk too much about it.

"Do we have a point to prove? Maybe, but only if we can keep winning three points."