'A great advantage' - What former Liverpool manager has said about the Premier League title race

Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes Manchester City have a ‘great’ advantage over their title rivals.

City earned a dominating 5-1 win over Luton Town at the weekend which moved them ahead of both Liverpool and Arsenal following their surprise defeats to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa respectively. It means Pep Guardiola’s side sit just two points clear on 73, while the chasing pack sit on 71 points each.

All three sides have European action to contend with this week in the Champions League and Europa League which will certainly have an effect on the weekend’s fixtures. Both Liverpool and Arsenal will have the chance to move back ahead of City at the weekend when they face Fulham and Wolves away from home, while Guardiola’s side face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.

Benitez spoke to Sky Sports News and was quizzed over his thoughts on the title race and his former club. He revealed that City have the edge due to their experience but all three teams could slip up again and that the race is not over yet. “I was watching the games and Man City are playing with a lot of confidence. I would say Liverpool had a lot of bad luck in the finishing because they had chances but the other team (Palace) were passing the ball well and countering well.

“Our challenge was just against one team (in 2008/09) but in this case there are three teams and if you can’t make a mistake when there is just two teams then it is very difficult. They feel the pressure, we feel the pressure and when I talk about experience and balance - how can you manage this type of situations. Experience helps for any situation.

When asked if there is another twist he offered hope for his former side but “I think Man City has a good squad; one of the games they changed three or four players and they still beat them easy so they know the strength they have. Can I see them making these kind of mistakes like Liverpool and Arsenal? Yes I can but I think they have a great advantage now.”