Benitez watched his side bounce back from their disappointing Champions League stalemate against Standard Liege with a somewhat fortunate 1-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday, but post-match talk immediately turned to off-field matters.

Reports over the weekend suggested the manager was considering his position after disagreements over the Barry move - Benitez is eager to add the England international but chief executive Rick Parry has questioned the reputed £18million asking price as well as the player's age - but the Spaniard moved decisively to quash such rumours.

He said: "My commitment is 100% - with the fans, with the players and with the club in general. I say 100 times my family is happy here - we want to win trophies at this club because it is a massive club."

He added: "I will not talk about any player - but in April I was talking about this (behind the scenes).

"We tried to do things in confidentiality, but sometimes you cannot and you need to explain before the end of the transfer window. If the manager has an idea and it is not a question of money, then we have to make the right decisions in terms of whom we bring in. That has to be the decision of the manager."

Sunderland boss Roy Keane, whose side enjoyed the better of the play before a typically decisive 82nd-minute strike from Fernando Torres won it for the visitors, was pragmatic about the result.

"It was just one moment - that's all we're talking about - but that's the beauty of the Premier League. I can't complain, because I've been on the other side of it," said the former Manchester United captain.

Arsenal also collected three points in the first game of the new season, although manager Arsene Wenger accepted a 1-0 win over top-flight newcomers West Brom was nothing to get worked up about.

But, after watching a debut goal from £12million summer signing Samir Nasri win the game after only four minutes, he insisted there was plenty to be enthusiastic about.

"We just couldn't finish them off," he said.

"You have that old story that you feel you probably deserved to be punished in the end - but I am pleased we did not let in a goal.

"We finished with 83 points last season, lost only three games, and we have stability in our club which allows us to feel we will be better this year."

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray, meanwhile, was able to take some positives out of his side's performance, after at one stage it had looked set to be a long afternoon.

He said: "We could have had a good hiding and after four minutes, that was always going to be a possibility.

"But we worked very hard all over the pitch and as the game wore on we started posing a real threat."

Hull celebrated the first top-flight match in their history with a 2-1 win over Fulham, leaving boss Phil Brown glowing.

"The spirit of the football club was there for everybody to see," he said.

"The fitness levels in the second half were incredible, as was the passion and the drive."

Cottagers chief Roy Hodgson paid tribute to City, adding: "It's tough to come away without a result but Hull were very motivated in the second half and we made some mistakes as a result."

West Ham had two-goal Dean Ashton to thank for their 2-1 win over Wigan, but the striker was forced to withdraw from the England squad through injury after impressing national coach Fabio Capello, who was in the crowd.

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos left Manchester United target Dimitar Berbatov on the bench until the 65th minute of his side's 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough, but denied it meant a move was imminent.

"For the moment Berbatov is a Spurs player. We are happy with him, he is part of the Spurs squad and there is nothing to say about it, I don't have any comment to make on it," he said.

Boro boss Gareth Southgate, meanwhile, was pleased with what he saw from his side.

"That will give confidence to everybody. They're a young group of players and they have bought in completely to what we're doing," he said after goals from Mido and David Wheater secured victory.

Veteran defender Andre Ooijer struck a dramatic late winner to give Blackburn coach Paul Ince a maiden win in the top division, with a 3-2 victory at Everton.

Ince went on to celebrate the result by warning rival managers off his prize assets.

He said: "We want to keep our best players, be it Santa Cruz, Warnock or McCarthy and any one of a dozen players. Let's dispel all this. No-one is leaving the club, we have had a really good start in this game."

Everton's lacklustre back four, meanwhile, got a verbal lashing from an unhappy David Moyes.

"Our defending at times was rubbish. We had experienced players, internationals, who were not at the races today," he complained.