Benitez confident United will slip up

Rafael Benitez is confident that Manchester United will present his Liverpool side with another chance to get back into the Premier League title race.

Liverpool’s 4-4 draw with Arsenal in midweek allowed United to pull three points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.

But Benitez, whose side travel to Hull on Saturday while United entertain Tottenham, believes there will be many more twists and turns in the title battle.

“Clearly it was difficult before the Arsenal game and now it will be more difficult but we will keep going,” the Spaniard said.

“We have confidence we can win our games and United will make a mistake so we have to be ready and hopefully we will see a mistake and it will be very close.

“It is football and you never know what can happen. If we win and they (United) cannot then again we will be talking about the title race.

“It is important to keep going and keep the belief.”

Liverpool’s last two matches – the Champions League exit to Chelsea and Tuesday’s league clash at home to Arsenal – have both finished 4-4 and while Benitez has been pleased with his side’s goal-scoring, he admits the lapses at the other end have been frustrating.

“The first three goals against Arsenal were individual mistakes, you cannot blame the team you can talk about one player,” he said.

“The last one was a team mistake so we have to do better defending a corner when we are attacking. I was really disappointed. We have been practising for years how to defend this situation and I was shouting at one or two players.”

With Hull fighting for Premier League survival, Benitez is determined that things will be kept tighter on Saturday.

“We know Hull are dangerous on set-pieces and hopefully we will not see the same situation,” he said.

Liverpool will again be without captain Steven Gerrard, whose groin injury means he will sit out a fourth successive match.

“Gerrard is a key player for us, especially attacking, but the team is doing well; Yossi Benayoun is doing well, Fernando Torres scored another two good goals against Arsenal,” Benitez said.

“The team know they have to attack and they have to win and it doesn’t matter if Gerrard is not there. All of them try to push and try to help.

“How to approach the game for us has to be the same: to play well and get three points.

“But it is a different style of football because they are a physical team and are fighting at the bottom of the table.

“Now they are in a position where they almost have to win every game as well so it will be tough.”

Benitez also played down speculation linking him with a move for Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, on loan at Manchester United until the end of the season.

“It is too early to talk about individual players. Summer is too far,” he said.

“We are not talking about players because now we are just focused on the league.”