Brendan Rodgers says if Chelsea is a little horse, Liverpool is the EPL’s chihuahuas in the title race

IF Chelsea is a horse in the title race, then Liverpool must be a chihuahua, says an ecstatic Brendan Rodgers.

DARE to dream, Liverpool fans.

The pulsating, comeback win at Craven Cottage means Brendan Rodgers’s side was the only top four outfit to cash in on these mid-week Premier League fixtures.

It looked as though Kolo Toure’s generous right foot was going to consign Liverpool to more wasted drop points away from home, like it did against West Brom.

But Steven Gerrard’s sublime outside of the boot assist for Daniel Sturridge, an individual piece of improvisation from Philippe Coutinho and Gerrard’s poise from the spot did the business where Manchester United could not last weekend.

There’s four points now from Chelsea, up top, to Liverpool in fourth, on 53 points.

So if table-topping Chelsea is the “little horse” in what was perceived to be a three horse race, what is Liverpool, now a serious threat in the stable?

“I don’t do all that horse stuff,” Rodgers said.

“Jose is very good at all that sort of stuff.

“We may be the chihuahuas that run in between the horses’ legs. But we’re just about improving with each match.”

Well played!

LIVERPOOL ESCAPES TO BOOST TITLE BID

News_Image_File: Liverpool's English midfielder Steven Gerrard shows how much it means.

News_Rich_Media: Kolo Toure has continued his charitable mood in Liverpool's clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage, slotting home his second own goal of the year following his reverse assist against West Brom a little over a week ago.

The win showed Liverpool’s full character. After the weekend’s swashbuckling display, there was more kamikaze defending today, but the attacking spirit to still pull the desired result.

“It was a great result,” Rogers added. “We’ve had to show character to come form behind twice. A brilliant victory. It was a very important win for us.

“After the game at the weekend, when we were outstanding, we had to show different qualities tonight. Character. Togetherness of the group. We’re very pleased. You’re always pushing and looking to get something. It’s never over until the whistle goes.

“We’ve defended poorly at times this season, mistakes and individual errors that have cost us, but we’re a very aggressive and offensive team going forward. We have goals in the team.

“Now we know we can go to any ground, or at home, and get goals. The goals got us the three points tonight rather than our defending.”

Interestingly, Luis Suarez hasn’t featured in either of the side’s two recent wins. But it’s a sign of progress, says Rodgers.

“Luis is a world-class player and rightly so, but I’m building something here that isn’t reliant on one player,” Rodgers said.

News_Rich_Media: All the goals from Thursday morning's four English Premier League fixtures.

“At various times when Luis has been in the team and Daniel wasn’t then Luis scored goals and other players scored goals. And then vice-versa.

“But you do not score the amount of goals that we do by just relying on one player.

“The great thing about Luis Suarez is if you asked him, ‘Do you want the golden boot or would he rather be in the Champions League?’ He’d be in the Champions League.

“He’s such a selfless player. We’re building an ethic for the team and that is the most important thing rather than any individual.”

News_Rich_Media: Manchester United manager David Moyes desperately searches for the positives out of his side's 0-0 draw with Arsenal, leaving them 11 points adrift of a Champions League slot.

IT COULD BE ALL OVER

TENSE, NERVY ARSENAL-UNITED STALEMATE

If Chelsea is a horse, Liverpool a chihuahuas, then is Arsenal a little poodle with its tail between its legs?

Where once a 0-0 draw with Manchester United would have been a fierce, robust affair, this match was tepid, nervy, devoid of gumption and a match between two heavyweights totally devoid of confidence.

Arsenal could have seized the day and returned to the top of the table; instead, this was a classic situation where there was too much at stake for either side to lose. And they both played like it.

The worry for Arsenal fans is that the predicted noose may have arrived - already.

“I felt we were nervous, yes. When you are hit like we were on Saturday, the players don’t want to lose and we could have lost it in the last five minutes,” Arsene Wenger said.

“It is not worrying, because we care about what we do and when you concede five goals like we did on Saturday, we are only human beings and that is always what you get after a game [like that].

News_Rich_Media: Highlights of Arsenal's 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Emirates Stadium.

“Sometimes, you don’t score because the team was highly focused not to concede today.”

Criticism of Wenger’s January spending will again re-surface. Olivier Giroud looks leg weary and there’s precious few alternatives ahead of an FA Cup tie with Liverpool and the UEFA Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

“We are a bit short of goals at the moment, you are right. We have lost goal-scorers with Walcott and Ramsey [out injured]. At the moment in games like this, you see that,” he said.

“We get our form back by first by not losing tonight, then come back to our normal level offensively.

“We have come out of two difficult games and are still in a strong position. That is the only positive. We had two bad results, but we are still in a position where we can do it.

“If you look at the domination we had then yes [we should have won it] but Man United restricted has to very few chances and the few we had we couldn’t take.”

News_Rich_Media: An unimpressed Arsene Wenger states the only member of the squad that performed the full 90 was the 12th man, as Arsenal went down 5-1 to Liverpool.

With Juan Mata posted on the left, Adnan Januzaj now suddenly a bench player and Robin van Persie’s finishing touch escaping him, United wasn’t an attraction to watch offensively. To David Moyes’s credit, however, the defensive shape was solid and stifled Arsenal, thwarting the home side’s fluency and desire to interplay between the lines.

Nevertheless, Moyes is still searching for his first win as a manager at Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal.

But he’s putting on a brave face as United slip 11 points off the top four in the Premier League.

“On another night, Robin could have had a hat -trick. He had three good chances.

“Overall, I would have liked to have won. I keep saying it, but I’ll try to win the next game and see if we can pick it up.

“If there’s one club in history that’s been great at winning games in the second half of the season, putting pressure on other clubs, it’s been Manchester United.

“We’ll continue to try to do that. See if we can make it work.”

News_Image_File: It’s not an easy gig at the moment.

DON’T FORGET THE TOP FOUR

SPURS HAMMER NEWCASTLE; SWANSEA-STOKE DRAW

News_Rich_Media: Highlights of Tottenham's 4-0 victory over Newcastle United at St James' Park.

With the focus reverting to Liverpool’s title hopes, Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood hasn’t given up hope of pegging back fourth spot, declaring the race will go down to the wire.

Tottenham inflicted more post-Yohan Cabaye misery on Newcastle United with a 4-0 thumping, on a difficult night for Tim Krul in goal.

“It is very tight at the top. I see it going down to the last month of the season, that’s for sure. It’s going to be tough for everyone to maintain the run that we’re all having. We seem to be not climbing above anyone at the moment. Liverpool are doing excellent and we’ve just got to make sure we keep breathing down their necks,” said Sherwood, who reportedly needs to make the top four to retain his job.

“Liverpool are up there at the moment and you would say they’re favourites but we think we can put a charge together. We’ve got to believe in that. We know how difficult it’s going to be, but it’s not only Liverpool, there are other teams within this race.”

One of the catalysts for the London club since Andre Villas-Boas’s departure has been Emmanuel Adebayor up front, with eight goal in 13 appearances. An outcast under AVB, he’s been like a new signing for Sherwood.

“He’s a real credit to the football club and at this present moment in time he’s an example for all our young players to look up to, someone who applies himself on and off the pitch the training field, he never leaves anything on the training field, he works very very hard and it mirrors that when he steps on to the pitch.

News_Image_File: Emmanuel Adebayor is revelling at Tottenham at the moment.

“We’re delighted. In recent weeks I’ve been critical of the starts we’ve been making in games, but not tonight. From the first whistle to the last, I thought we were very, very good and because of our start we set the tone.”

Nothing really is going right for Alan Pardew at the moment at Newcastle.

“The opposition completely dominated us almost from start to finish really and I felt that the team didn’t look balanced or right,” he said.

“I will certainly have to make changes for the Aston Villa game and expect us to do better.”