Chelsea needs to create more chances for out-of-form striker Fernando Torres, Coach Rafael Benitez said after the Blues 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City on Sunday. Torres failed to register a single shot on target during a game in which Chelsea only managed one shot on goal over the whole 90 minutes.

“You could see he was trying very hard,” Benitez said shortly after answering 'Yes' when asked whether Torres could recapture the form he showed when both he and Benitez were together at Liverpool. He added: “But I think the team has to help Fernando and create more chances, and he will score goals. You cannot expect a striker scoring just on his own, so we have to create more and better chances for him with the players we have.”

While Benitez was unhappy with just a single shot on target, he said that Sunday’s shutout was one of a number of “positives” he took from his first game in charge following Roberto Di Matteo’s abrupt dismissal last week. Sunday’s 0-0 draw was the Blues’ first clean sheet in 10 games in all competitions. The result left Chelsea five points behind leader Manchester United.