PELLEGRINI: GERRARD SLIP DIDN’T MATTER

to the take crown. ‘In the Premier League it seemed that Liverpool were always in front of us because we had three games in hand,’ he said. ‘Three games were suspended by the weather or by the other competitions that we were playing. Liverpool were just playing in one. ‘We won because it was in our hands to win those games. It seems always that Liverpool lost the title but I don’t agree with that. I do not agree that it was because Liverpool lost against Chelsea — it was 2-0 not 1-0. The first goal was a problem because Gerrard slipped but they didn’t score a goal. And if they had scored and it had finished 1-1 there would have been exactly the same champion because we beat them by two points. ‘We were the champions because we were the best team that season.’ Pellegrini is also of the belief that his former side might have the edge in this latest showdown as a result of their Champions League elimination by Tottenham on Wednesday. Liverpool hold a two-point advantage but must juggle domestic demands with a European clash against Barcelona in the semi-finals, while City have a clear run and a game in hand. Pellegrini said: ‘Of course if you are fighting less competitions it is a little easier. You have more time to prepare the game, you can keep the same XI you think is the best one. If not, if you are competing in two or three competitions, you must rotate and you cannot use all the players you want.’ He added: ‘There are so many things that can decide a title. But maybe the fixtures left are more difficult for City than what Liverpool has. It depends because sometimes the weakest team you play is the most difficult. I think Cardiff will be difficult for Liverpool on Sunday. They are fighting relegation and of course City has to play United. It will be a very tight race.’

ANDY HOOPER On top: Pellegrini celebrates City’s 2014 title win MANUEL PELLEGRINI has moved to correct the popular theory that his Manchester City side only won the 2014 title because Steven Gerrard slipped. It is a fun quirk of timing that Pellegrini’s West Ham go head to head with Brendan Rodgers and Leicester today, just as their former clubs City and Liverpool enter the final weeks of an enthralling title race. City triumphed the last time the clubs were so close five years ago, when Gerrard’s famous slip in a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea changed the complexion of the run-in. However, that distillation of how the title was won has grated with Pellegrini, whose side won their final five games