Benitez defiant despite slip

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists the club are still in the title race despite dropping more points on their rivals in last night’s 1-1 draw at Wigan.

Yossi Benayoun’s 41st-minute goal from a narrow angle was all the visitors had to show for their efforts despite dominating most of the match.

An equaliser was almost inevitable and it duly came in the last 10 minutes when midfielder Lucas needlessly brought down substitute Jason Koumas and debutant Mido, signed on loan from Middlesbrough last week, converted the penalty.

It condemned Liverpool to their seventh draw in 10 Barclays Premier League matches and their fourth on the bounce in all competitions.

They dropped down to third in the table after being overtaken by Chelsea and are two points behind leaders Manchester United having played one match more and only one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

“When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed,” said Benitez.

“But we have an important game on Sunday (against Chelsea) and if we play like we played in the first half we can beat anyone.

“All the games will be important until the end of the season. It depends on the other teams too but we have to try to play well and try to win.”

The Spaniard was at his cryptic best in his post-match press conference, labelling the second half “crazy” but offering no explanation for his reasoning.

“We were much better in the first half. We had control of the game. We didn’t kill the game,” he said.

“The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you cannot control things.”

When he was pressed as to what was the crazy element of the second half the Spaniard refused to comment.

“No I am disappointed with a number of things but no, the Wigan approach I will not talk about them,” he added.

“It has happened in the last three games. They have something in common I don’t like. I know why but I cannot say anything.

“The players were okay. They were working very hard in the first half but the second half changed because it was crazy.

“I was talking with my players about what to do on the pitch but there are things that you cannot control.”

Wigan manager Steve Bruce paid tribute to his team’s battling spirit.

“The resilience of them was there again,” said the Latics boss, who in the last week has lost key players striker Emile Heskey and midfielder Wilson Palacios in the transfer window and had goalkeeper Chris Kirkland out with a back injury.

“We have had to make five changes – big changes – from the team that played 10 days ago.

“The one thing they do is stick at it and have a right good crack at it. In the last 20-25 minutes they really got the bit between their teeth.

“Lee Cattermole got amongst them and tackled everything that moved. It was a decent performance from us.”