Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard declares his side ‘genuine contenders’ for the EPL title

LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard declared his side “genuine contenders” for the Premier League title after 3-0 victory at Manchester United.

LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard declared his side “genuine contenders” for the Premier League title after scoring two penalties in a 3-0 victory at Manchester United.

Gerrard broke the deadlock at Old Trafford with a 34th-minute spot-kick after Rafael da Silva was penalised for handball and made it 2-0 a minute into the second half following a foul on Joe Allen by Phil Jones.

He could have had a hat-trick of penalties, putting a third attempt against the post after Nemanja Vidic had been shown a second yellow card for tripping Daniel Sturridge, before Luis Suarez added a late third.

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News_Rich_Media: Highlights of Liverpool's 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Victory took Liverpool to within four points of leaders Chelsea with a game in hand and although manager Brendan Rodgers has sought to play down his side's title chances, Gerrard has his eyes firmly on the prize.

News_Image_File: Two big stars enjoying a massive moment in the season.

“We believe that we can win the league,” he told Sky Sports. “But the easiest thing in football is to talk the talk. We have to treat (forthcoming opponents) Cardiff and Sunderland the same as Manchester United.

“I maybe got a bit cocky with the last penalty, but scored the two that mattered most.” While United will turn their attentions to Wednesday's Champions League last 16 second leg against Olympiakos, when they must seek to overturn a 2-0 deficit, Liverpool have a week to prepare for next weekend's trip to Cardiff City.

News_Rich_Media: A man of the match performance at Old Trafford has earned Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard player of the week honours for round 30 of the Premier League.

Liverpool will face title rivals Chelsea and Manchester City over the closing weeks of the campaign and Gerrard warned his team-mates not to get caught up in the euphoria of a first win at Old Trafford since March 2009.

“I have come here many times before and been played off the park,” he said. “They are a fantastic team and this is one of the most difficult places to come in the Premier League.

“To come here and dominate from start to finish -- we're still going away slightly disappointed that we didn't score more goals.

News_Image_File: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard slots home the spot-kick.

“We will enjoy this tonight, but we'll need to move on quickly. We've showed today that we are genuine contenders and we are going to fight to the end for this.” United striker Wayne Rooney, Gerrard's England colleague, described the game as one of the most painful experiences of his entire career.

“It's one of the worst days I've ever had in football,” he told United's in-house television station, MUTV.

“It's hard to take. You have to give Liverpool credit -- they played well -- but it's difficult to take. Nobody wants to lose, especially in this way, in your own stadium. It's not nice.” News_Rich_Media: A look back at Sunday's two blockbuster EPL fixtures as Manchester United and Liverpool faced off at Old Trafford while Tottenham hosted Arsenal at White Hart Lane.