League a long race, Rafa warns high-flying Bolton

RAFAEL BENITEZ’S already strained relationship with Sam Allardyce fractured entirely after the Liverpool manager effectively accused his Bolton Wanderers counterpart of building his success on dirty tricks.

Benitez may have earned a reputation for erring on the side of caution with his public utterances, but there is clearly something about Bolton which prevents him from biting his tongue.

He had already enraged Allardyce by labelling Wanderers a team of bully-boys in the build-up to the clubs’ Premiership meeting in October, but this fresh attack ahead of today’s re-match at Anfield is far more vicious.