Steven Gerrard is desperate for Liverpool to make waves for their business on the pitch, not off it.

The England midfielder eased some of the pressure on manager Rafael Benitez with a hat-trick in the 5-0 defeat of Luton in last night's FA Cup third round replay at Anfield.

There will be bigger tests ahead in the coming weeks for Benitez, whose position has come into question after co-owner Tom Hicks admitted talks were held with Jurgen Klinsmann about becoming the next manager.

While the Spaniard refused to speak about his future after the match, Gerrard was keen to voice his own opinion on the debate.

"It's not about the manager, it's about the team and progressing into the fourth round," he said. "It is important the headlines are about football. Every time we've put the TV on we see what's happening off the pitch."