Rafael Benitez has denied reports claiming he thinks Liverpool are better than Manchester United.
Benitez was quoted on Friday insisting the Reds were a better team than the Old Trafford and he was the only one willing to stand up to Sir Alex Ferguson.
Those comments sparked a reaction from United boss Ferguson in his press conference, but Benitez has since refuted the reports.
"It is not true," Benitez told Sky Sports News. "I did not say this.
"It was a normal conversation with a good journalist and then has been twisted a little bit.
"We are really focused and do not want to lose our concentration."
But Benitez did warn Manchester United that his team is ready to pounce upon any mistake they make in the title run-in.
United returned to the top of the Premier League with victory over Portsmouth in midweek and now have a three point advantage with a match in hand.
Both clubs have slipped up in recent weeks - Liverpool's 4-4 draw against Arsenal on Tuesday the latest - but Benitez is confident his side will push their north-west neighbours right to the end of the season.
"Clearly it was difficult before (the Arsenal game) and now it will be more difficult but we will keep going," he said.
"We have confidence we can win our games and United will make a mistake so we have to be ready and hopefully we will see a mistake and it will be very close.
"It is football and you never know what can happen. If we win and they (United) cannot then again we will be talking about the title race.
"It is important to keep going and keep the belief."
The Spaniard hopes his players do not lose their focus when they take on Hull at the KC Stadium on Saturday.
Liverpool's last two matches - the Champions League exit to Chelsea and Tuesday's league clash at home to Arsenal - have both finished 4-4.
That is a most un-Benitez-like scoreline and he admitted certain events in midweek left him frustrated and even angry.
He will underline to his squad they cannot continue with the win-at-all costs mentality and forget their responsibilities to the team.
Benitez is a meticulous planner and each player is given a detailed job - specific to the opponents they are facing - to do before each match.
Those instructions were not carried out against the Gunners and Benitez intends to drum into his squad the importance of keeping their heads during the match.
"The first three goals against Arsenal were individual mistakes, you cannot blame the team you can talk about one player," he added.
"The last one was a team mistake so we have to do better defending a corner when we are attacking.
"I was really disappointed. We have been practising for years how to defend this situation and I was shouting at one or two players.
"We had the [pre-match] report and it said be careful with Theo Walcott at corners because he can start the counter-attack.
"It was so clear, they (the players) knew, and we made a mistake.
"In this case it was because they wanted to score and they were losing their position.
"They realise there was a mistake so next time it will be different.
"It (an attacking attitude) is good in open play but when you talk about set-pieces everyone has responsibilities and we have to be careful with these things
Benitez was quoted on Friday insisting the Reds were a better team than the Old Trafford and he was the only one willing to stand up to Sir Alex Ferguson.
Those comments sparked a reaction from United boss Ferguson in his press conference, but Benitez has since refuted the reports.
"It is not true," Benitez told Sky Sports News. "I did not say this.
"It was a normal conversation with a good journalist and then has been twisted a little bit.
"We are really focused and do not want to lose our concentration."
But Benitez did warn Manchester United that his team is ready to pounce upon any mistake they make in the title run-in.
United returned to the top of the Premier League with victory over Portsmouth in midweek and now have a three point advantage with a match in hand.
Both clubs have slipped up in recent weeks - Liverpool's 4-4 draw against Arsenal on Tuesday the latest - but Benitez is confident his side will push their north-west neighbours right to the end of the season.
"Clearly it was difficult before (the Arsenal game) and now it will be more difficult but we will keep going," he said.
"We have confidence we can win our games and United will make a mistake so we have to be ready and hopefully we will see a mistake and it will be very close.
"It is football and you never know what can happen. If we win and they (United) cannot then again we will be talking about the title race.
"It is important to keep going and keep the belief."
The Spaniard hopes his players do not lose their focus when they take on Hull at the KC Stadium on Saturday.
Liverpool's last two matches - the Champions League exit to Chelsea and Tuesday's league clash at home to Arsenal - have both finished 4-4.
That is a most un-Benitez-like scoreline and he admitted certain events in midweek left him frustrated and even angry.
He will underline to his squad they cannot continue with the win-at-all costs mentality and forget their responsibilities to the team.
Benitez is a meticulous planner and each player is given a detailed job - specific to the opponents they are facing - to do before each match.
Those instructions were not carried out against the Gunners and Benitez intends to drum into his squad the importance of keeping their heads during the match.
"The first three goals against Arsenal were individual mistakes, you cannot blame the team you can talk about one player," he added.
"The last one was a team mistake so we have to do better defending a corner when we are attacking.
"I was really disappointed. We have been practising for years how to defend this situation and I was shouting at one or two players.
"We had the [pre-match] report and it said be careful with Theo Walcott at corners because he can start the counter-attack.
"It was so clear, they (the players) knew, and we made a mistake.
"In this case it was because they wanted to score and they were losing their position.
"They realise there was a mistake so next time it will be different.
"It (an attacking attitude) is good in open play but when you talk about set-pieces everyone has responsibilities and we have to be careful with these things
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