Gerrard will fight Manchester United to the end

Man of the match Steven Gerrard promised Liverpool fans that the Reds will fight Manchester United to the end.

With United playing City in the Manchester derby on Sunday, Rafael Benitez's men overtook them on goal difference - but they only have two matches left.

And, while the title is a mathematical possibility, the Anfield side will not give up.

Gerrard told Setanta Sports 1: "We've got to keep going, keep doing our job and that's to win our remaining games - starting today.

"We're happy with the result, happy with the clean sheet. We've put a little bit more pressure on United.

"If they win their games, fair play to them, they deserve it, but we've got to keep the pressure on."

Gerrard is now hoping for a favour from Mark Hughes' City on Sunday.

"They've got a tough game," the 28-year-old England midfielder said of United.

"City have just come into a bit of form and derby matches are never easy. We wait and we hope that City can do us a favour - but the important thing is that we do our job.

"It'd be nice to still have it in our hands but we've got ourselves to blame by not winning football matches we should win.

"We've drawn too many games at home this season - it's been slightly frustrating but you've still got to give us credit.

"We've done so well to be in the title race. It's May 9 and it's the first time we've been in it (at this stage of season) for a long time so credit where it's due.

"At a club like Liverpool it's important to win trophies but there's still been progression. We will learn from where we've gone wrong and start putting it right next season."

Ryan Babel added a third at Upton Park to seal the victory for the visitors, and Gerrard felt it was a richly deserved three points.

"When you come to a tough places like West Ham, who are playing well and have got a good manager, it's important you start well and that's what we've done," he said.

"West Ham came back into it after that but I think overall we deserved to win.

"It shows we're a good team, we've got good togetherness and we've got a winning mentality. We've got good players and we deserve to be top of the league at the moment."

Yossi Benayoun echoed Gerrard's sentiments about the dropped points at Anfield looking like they will prove crucial at the end of the season.

"I think we lost too many points against the teams below us at home," the Israel captain told Setanta Sports 1.

"From January to the end of February, we drew a lot of games - five or six in a row if I'm not wrong. This is the period that Manchester United got the confidence back and went to the top of the league, and from then it was very difficult.

"We will try to learn from this season."

Like Gerrard, Benayoun is hoping United will stumble in their remaining games.

"We know it will be difficult," he admitted. "They have the games in hand and they are a very strong side.

Hopefully they will slip up. If not they will deserve to be champions. Anything can happen in football.

"Manchester derbies are always difficult games. City have a lot of quality players in attack and hopefully they will have a good game and try to win the game - but everybody knows Manchester United are favourites."