The Reds manager was angered after his goalkeeper Jose Reina was sent off for flicking his hand into Robben's face with eight minutes of the game remaining.

Reina appeared to make minimal contact, but the Dutch winger fell to the ground clutching his head as a scuffle broke out between the two sets of players.

The incident enraged Benitez, who claimed that Robben had deliberately attempted to get Reina sent off by feigning injury.

"I must go to hospital because obviously Robben's injury is so serious he will be there for a week," Benitez said.

"Reina made a mistake in turning and touching his face, but it looked like he had broken his neck the way he reacted. It's crazy. What kind of professional can you be when you make another professional miss three games for that incident?

"There was no need. They had won the game and now Reina has to miss matches which is crazy. Reina has made a mistake and I am very clear about this but he was provoked by what was said to him."

The Spanish manager also criticised the referee Alan Wiley's handling of the situation.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho predictably took a different view of the incident, suggesting that Benitez had allowed defeat to cloud his judgement.

"I'm not interested in Rafa Benitez's comments," he said.

"Sometimes managers say things they don't mean, especially after they lose, so I'm not getting involved with it."