Liverpool can stop the rot, says Benayoun

Yossi Benayoun has insisted Liverpool can stop the rot that has eaten away at the club’s challenge for the Premier League trophy over the last month.

Successive draws with Stoke, Everton and Wigan have handed the initiative in the title battle to on-form Manchester United, who now stand two points clear at the top with a game in hand.

Liverpool, who entertain Chelsea on Sunday, have slipped to third place, behind the west Londoners on goal difference, and the demoralised body language of key players after the draw at Wigan on Wednesday evening suggests manager Rafael Benitez will struggle to revitalise his troops.

But Israel international Benayoun insisted there were positives to take from the Wigan encounter, in which his first-half strike was cancelled out by Egyptian striker Mido’s late penalty on his Wigan debut.

“We were leading 1-0 with just a few minutes to go, so of course we are disappointed but all we can do is keep working and try to turn things round.

“(Including an FA Cup tie with Everton) We have drawn our last four games in a row so we have to try and play better and finish games off when we are winning 1-0.

“We have big players and I am sure that we will turn things around because we have the quality to do so.”

Despite a below-par display, Fernando Torres came agonisingly close to making the game safe for Liverpool when he headed against the post, and Benayoun said that was typical of the Reds’ luck of late.

“Fernando’s header came back off the post and from one counter attack they got a penalty — this is football sometimes, if you don’t get the second goal your opponents can always score towards the end.”

Benayoun acknowledged that Liverpool’s stuttering form had raised the stakes involved in Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.

“It is a very important game for us now. We have to start winning if we want to have a chance of winning the league.”