RAFAEL BENITEZ has for the first time played down Liverpool’s title dreams and asked for “realism” as the club fight to end a run of disastrous results.

FRANCE defender Patrice Evra has admitted to becoming ‘obsessed’ about the World Cup play-off matches against Ireland this week and has called the two games ‘the biggest of my career’.

WAYNE ROONEY and Alex Ferguson have both escaped a misconduct charge following their angry reaction to Manchester United’s defeat to Chelsea.

CHELSEA have been brought back to earth after their victory over Manchester United by an injury to England left-back Ashley Cole which threatens to keep him out of action for weeks.

JOHN TERRY and Nicolas Anelka cannot decide who scored the winning goal, Alex Ferguson cannot believe it was given and Manchester United cannot understand how they lost.

ALEX FERGUSON took another swipe at a referee as Manchester United’s Premier League title hopes were dealt a severe blow at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

PERHAPS there is something in the Eastlands water.

FORGIVE us our trespasses, not to mention our sloppy passes, but with those other Blues fetching up these shores at the end of the week, it was hard not to view yesterday’s grand slammer at Stamford Bridge against the backdrop of altogether more high-stakes games to come in Dublin and Paris.

MICK MCCARTHY’S sour wit suggested Arsenal would be quaking in their boots at the prospect of having to face Wolves when he prefaced this encounter.

STOKE manager Tony Pulis and Hull boss Phil Brown joined forces yesterday to condemn Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger’s comments about weakened sides and fixture congestion.

MIDFIELDER Frank Lampard insists Chelsea can fend off any new year title push from Manchester United after the Blues halted their mini-crisis with a hard-earned victory over bottom club Portsmouth on Wednesday night.

FOUR uncapped players have been included in the Ireland women’straining squad as they begin their build-up to next April’s World Cup qualifier in Chile.

AVRAM GRANT appears destined never to find happiness at Stamford Bridge. The man who came within one missed penalty of winning the Champions League for Roman Abramovich endured an ultimately unfulfilling return to west London with his new club Portsmouth: the fact that defeat was confirmed by a spot-kick merely gave the result an extra spiteful twist.

ROY HODGSON hailed Bobby Zamora’s match-winning performance after Fulham booked their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a 3-2 win at Basle last night.

THE Premier League have been accused of creating their own problems in the wake of Mick McCarthy’s controversial team selection at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

TOMASZ KUSZCZAK has had enough of sitting on the Manchester United bench and is relishing his extended run in the side.

ASTON VILLA boss Martin O’Neill refused to talk up his side’s chances of splitting up the Barclays Premier League’s big four after victory at Sunderland last night.

ALEX FERGUSON’S 900th league game as Manchester United manager ended in a comfortable victory over Wolves at Old Trafford last night although the occasion was overshadowed by a controversial piece of team selection from his opposite number Mick McCarthy.

MANAGER Rafael Benitez will continue to shoulder the burden of criticism for his faltering Liverpool team as he has absolute faith in the methods which he expects his players to follow.

CHELSEA could be without 18-goal striker Didier Drogba for tonight’s clash with Portsmouth after the Ivory Coast international hurt his back in a training ground incident yesterday.