Liverpool beat Real Madrid and Manchester United last week

Wins for Chelsea and Arsenal saw both London sides also close the gap 比分接近/拉近距離 on the title holders 頭銜持有者.

Manchester United now have a lead of only four points at the top of the table, although they have one more game to play than their rivals 競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手.

Speculation 揣測(cè) in the media is rife 廣泛流傳 that Manchester United could be cracking 敗陣 under the pressure, and that their manager Sir Alex Ferguson is feeling the strain 壓力.

Cracks 裂痕 have started to appear in the Manchester defence – once thought of as virtually impregnable 幾乎是堅(jiān)不可摧的.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez believes that his team’s massive victory will inspire 激勵(lì) other sides to believe they can beat Ferguson’s players.

"We have shown the way. United have been playing with so much confidence. At least people will now see that they can lose," said Benitez.

Benitez’s opinions were echoed 認(rèn)同（某人的觀點(diǎn)） by Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, whose team are also just four points behind the leaders, after winning 1-0 at Manchester City.

"When you are in the driver's seat 處于主導(dǎo)地位 and someone else is coming, you can get a little bit nervous. It is a little bit open now," said Hiddink, meaning that sometimes leading the race is the most nerve-wracking 令人感到極度緊張的 place to be.

Both Benitez and Hiddink think that the increased pressure on United will benefit fans of English football.

"If we want to track 跟蹤/追趕 them, we have to keep on winning," said Hiddink, "that will give tension to the end of the season, which is good for everyone."

However, it would be unwise 不明智的 to write off 排除 Manchester United just yet, as Sir Alex has promised his team will come back fighting.

"It is a hard one to take because I thought we were the better team and the score does not reflect that," said Ferguson.

"Now the thing is to respond 做出回應(yīng). It always is at this club - you lose a game and you respond. We always do," he continued.

With just nine or ten matches left for the teams to play, it looks like an exciting finish to the season is well on the cards 可能發(fā)生的.