‘Liverpool fans are bottling it, not the players and Jurgen Klopp’

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has said that it's ludicrous to suggest that Liverpool are bottling the race for the Premier League title.

Liverpool fell one point behind new league leaders Manchester City after their goalless draw with Everton on Sunday as Pep Guardiola's side move into pole position on the table with just nine games left in the season. Liverpool led by as much as seven points during the campaign but Sutton dismissed the notion that the Reds are choking and insisted that it will be a title race that will go to the wire.

"To me the Liverpool fans seem to be bottling it, not the players and Klopp," Sutton told the Monday Night Club. "Can't we just say that Liverpool and Manchester City are two great teams - it's a brilliant title race. This will go to the wire. "When Manchester City lost earlier in the season to Palace and Leicester and Newcastle, did we say Manchester City are bottling it? "Is drawing at Manchester United bottling it? Everton, their rivals, seemed to really up their game - their best moment of the season may be stopping Liverpool win a title. "It's ludicrous to suggest that Liverpool are bottling it. They are absolutely not. The players are just focused on the next game."

Liverpool have led the league for the majority of the season but manager Jurgen Klopp has said that he is completely fine with chasing down the new league leaders and defending champions.

"I'm completely fine with chasing," Klopp said. "I watched Match of the Day last night and saw the celebrations of Manchester City - they had 900 chances and scored one goal, a shot with the wrong foot. "You have to be ready for these chances."