RAFAEL BENITEZ renewed his verbal onslaught on Sir Alex Ferguson last night. Speaking after a drab 0-0 draw with Stoke, which put Liverpool four points clear in the Premier League, he said he had no regrets about Friday’s outburst against the United manager and that he had felt compelled to speak out because Ferguson had been “talking too much about Liverpool . . . he has to stop”.

Denying that the spat might have affected his team’s performance, Benitez said: “In more than 20 years nobody has said these things, but maybe a lot of people are thinking the same. I do not regret saying it. I can guarantee you that a lot of people have sent messages of support. Now maybe he is a little bit scared. I have a lot of respect for him and he is a great manager, but he is talking too much about Liverpool. This has to stop. There have been conversations between myself and the players about what I said, which I cannot tell you about. He may respond, but if he talks too quickly I will not understand.”

Bentiez then tried to play mind games of his own, before Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford today, saying: “Do I think he is nervous? Clearly. Tomorow it is clear that both cannot win. We will see what happens. A draw could be a perfect result for Liverpool.” Benitez’s premeditated broadside at the United boss on Friday had contained a litany of complaints, the gist of which was that his rival had been allowed by the lawmakers to place himself above the rules.

Ferguson, meanwhile, continued to rile his rival by suggesting that Liverpool’s challenge for the league title is little more than talk. The Scot said Chelsea remain in his view Manchester United’s main rivals. “I’m of the opinion that it usually goes down to two teams, in the last month anyway,” said Ferguson. His implication was that the Anfield side would not be one of those in contention.

In his latest comments, Ferguson plays down the seriousness of Liverpool’s bid for a first title in 19 years. “Liverpool have had a good start and it’s given them more confidence and there’s more expectation on them now. They’re talking about winning the league, the supporters are talking about winning it and the players are talking about, so that’s a change. But they’ve not been able to talk about it for at least a good few years,” he said. He still expects the title to come down to a scrap between United and Chelsea. “Chelsea have experience and have been our main rivals for the past five years.”