Just when Rafa, and the Kop faithful, needed no distractions, one of the worst imaginable arrived. This time of year is, rightly or wrongly, now associated with footballers finding themselves in bother after one bottle of Cristal too many.

However, it is fair to say that this is no ordinary footballer, and these are no ordinary circumstances. This is Steven Gerrard, worshipped by many on Merseyside, arrested just as the title race his team are narrowly leading enters its final straight.

Liverpool trying to maintain the momentum to bring the Premier League trophy back to Anfield without a fully-focused Gerrard seems a tougher prospect than trying to combat Bechers at Royal Aintree atop an ageing donkey.

Of course, something would be amiss if Liverpool cantered to the title without a hint of controversy either on or off the famous Anfield turf. This is the club that faces constant animosity towards its owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, has had its value hit by the global credit crunch, and is used as a makeweight in the Americans' attempts to secure the necessary funding to pay the bills.

Benitez himself has seemingly only just committed himself to the club, but is unlikely to be handed a substantial war chest for the January transfer window.

Sustaining their early promise in the title race will be the ultimate test for the Spaniard and, with the Premier League arguably a tougher, and more coveted, prize to win than the Champions League trophy already secured on the Anfield mantelpiece, he could have surely done without the added distraction of his captain in trouble with the law.

Unsurprisingly, Benitez has pledged Gerrard his full support – but perhaps coded within the public show of solidarity was a thinly-veiled reminder that on-field matters remain the priority for everyone at the club.

“Steven is our captain and a key player for us, but more than this, I know him as a nice person,” Benitez said.

“He's trained with the other lads after a couple of days off for the squad, and is keen now to focus solely on his football.

“We've worked very hard to get into the position we're in going through to the New Year and all of us are determined to keep that progress going.”

Liverpool and Gerrard face two tough trials in the space of four days – on January 23, Gerrard will face the charges at North Sefton magistrates court, four days after a potentially explosive Merseyside derby at home to Everton which could make or break Liverpool’s title challenge.

It remains to be seen whether the incident will be a minor sour point in a season of glory, or whether that four-day period will be forever known as 96 hours that derailed Liverpool’s title challenge.