Liverpool legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher both warned Rafa Benitez he risked costing them the title with his infamous ‘Facts’ rant back in 2009.
The Spaniard famously hit out at Manchester United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of his side’s clash with Stoke City in January 2009, suggesting the Red Devils got favourable decisions and taking issue with comments from the Scot about the Premier League fixture list.
And former Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun has revealed how the Reds dressing room reacted at the time, sharing how Gerrard and Carragher both wasted no time to share their discontent with Benitez in a team meeting soon after.
“When we were leading in the league, Rafa Benitez suddenly came to a press conference and suddenly pulled out a paper,” the former playmaker told Israeli TV, cited by the Mirror. “We did not know he was going to do it.
“It was the day before the game and before our meeting and he opened on Alex Ferguson from all directions. He said we were sure we would not win because Ferguson controls the referees.
“We came to the players meeting afterwards. Gerrard and Jamie Carrager told him 'Don't you understand that what you have done now will arouse them (United) and this is what will happen until the end?'”
- Did Rafa Benitez's 'facts' rant really cost Liverpool the Premier League? Let us know in the comments below.
And Benayoun has admitted he feels Benitez’s rant impacted his squad and affected their mentality for the rest of the season as they eventually finished second behind Ferguson’s side.
“From that moment on we suddenly had a draw here and a draw there,” he said. “Suddenly we started thinking about referees. These are against us, and these are against us. We made some draw results and they passed us.
“I scored a goal and we beat Fulham in the 94th minute and we went up to first place. The next day United hosted Aston Villa. They were losing 1-2 after 80 minutes. But Macheda made it 3-2 to United. So we knew it was impossible to overtake them.”
*Do you play Fantasy Premier League? Do you back yourself to use your chips in the right gameweeks, and nail your captain every single time? Now is your chance to prove it – and win some prizes in the process.
