Benitez claims Chelsea running scared

Chelsea midfielder Mickael Essien (L) chases Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard during the Champions League match at Anfield. Rafael Benitez has fanned the flames of Liverpool's increasingly bitter rivalry with Chelsea by claiming that the Premiership champions are running scared of his side.

Rafael Benitez has fanned the flames of Liverpool's increasingly bitter rivalry with Chelsea by claiming that the Premiership champions are running scared of his side.

The two teams will cross swords once more on Sunday at Anfield with Liverpool insisting they proved a point in Wednesday's goalless Champions League encounter.

Most observers judged Liverpool to have edged that contest on points, suggesting their semi-final win over Chelsea in the competition last season was no fluke, contrary to the claims of Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

"I am sure Chelsea do not like playing Liverpool," Benitez claimed. "When they are talking and talking and talking before the game it means they are worried, maybe they are afraid, I don't know. But I hope that is the case after this weekend."

Liverpool go into Sunday's match 14 points adrift of Chelsea in the league and Mourinho has warned that they can forget about the title race if they lose.

Benitez responded curtly. "We played better than them on Wednesday, they are at the top of the league with a squad maybe as good as anyone in the world and we played at the same level as them," the Spaniard said.

"We had control in midfield, defence and attack. As a manager that makes me happy. I do not want to keep talking about the penalties we were denied, but if you watch TV you could see there was no doubt, two, maybe three."

Mourinho has irritated everyone connected to Liverpool by repeatedly suggesting they were fortunate to have won the Champions League last season.

And the bad blood between the two clubs was underlined by Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who was scathing in his response to suggestions his side had adopted a long-ball style.

"There is no side more direct than Chelsea. We watched videos of Chelsea before the game, and when we saw their match against Bayern Munich from last season's Champions League," he said.

"I couldn't remember seeing so many long balls in a match since I started watching football in the 80s.

"No-one can accuse us of playing too direct on Wednesday. Our midfield got the better of them. When you look at the quality they've got in Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Claude Makelele, I thought Stevie Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann and Xabi Alonso had the upper hand.

"I know it's an easy accusation to make against a side with a 6ft 7ins centre forward but we showed a lot of good quality all over the pitch.

"We now have another option in Peter Crouch but I won't have (accept) it that we played it all long to him. We didn't. He has shown what quality he's got on the deck, anyway."