Rate it!

74 votes

Manager reaction from the weekend's Premier League clashes, with Guus Hiddink insisting the tension is back in the title race after his side's 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City

Guus Hiddink: "They (Manchester United) have that game in hand, but it's clear that after Saturday's unexpected result that the tension has come back into the league.

"It's a boost. But if we want to track them, we have to keep on winning. That'll give tension to the end of the season, which is good for everyone. Every now and then you get a defeat you don't expect.

"Let's see how they react in the up-coming days. When you are in the driver's seat and someone else is coming, you can get a little bit nervous. It is a little bit open now."

Mark Hughes: "You have to give the opposition credit for that because they see Robinho as a threat for us and they're going to try and deny him the space to have a positive impact.

"You can't just expect one player to carry the team. We have other players who have to stand up to the plate and be counted. Today wasn't Robinho's day."

Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham

Martin O'Neill: "This was a disappointing result because it was a game we felt we could win but I still feel it is possible to reach our objectives. In November we lost two games in six days and then went on a 13-match unbeaten run.

"We probably have to get something from the next two games which will be pretty difficult but I believe it is possible that we can still fight back and the players feel that. There are still nine games to go, plenty of points to play for."

Harry Redknapp: "We have been in great form recently. We have taken 33 points from 21 games since I have been here.

"That is top seven form and I have been delighted with the players. But we have still got a bit of work to do even though we now have 35 points altogether."

Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool

Sir Alex Ferguson: "We have lost a game. We need to respond and that is what we will do. It is a hard one to take because I felt we were the better team.

"That is not reflected in the scoreline and quite rightly, when you win 4-1 you get all the plaudits. I can't deny that."

Rafael Benitez: "We have beaten Real Madrid and Manchester United in the same week. If we can beat them, we can beat anybody. Realistically, we have to win all of our games. But part of winning the war is winning football matches.

"We have more belief and more confidence now. It will be difficult but we can do it."

Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn

Arsene Wenger: "The boys were waiting for a long time to do that. It is up for grabs now. The team is really up for it. We are in good shape to fight on three fronts. I believe that maybe the pressure came off the team after the Roma game.

"We played with more freedom, our football was more fluent and our game is coming back."

Sam Allardyce: "It's what other people haven't done today which is most important for us, because we could have been back in the bottom three had results gone differently. We can't control that obviously but they've gone in our favour and we still have only lost three in 12, so we're on the up.

"If you only lose to the big boys, that's not so bad. What's important is that you don't lose to the other teams who are down there with you."

Everton 3-1 Stoke City

David Moyes: "It was a strange game and we were in a comfortable situation at the break. But we knew that the first goal after that would dictate the way the game went. Stoke started brighter after the break and came out strongly. For 30 minutes they put us under a lot of pressure.

"Maybe there was some complacency in that second half, but we should know it was going to be difficult. Every team we have played who are down at the bottom have made life difficult for us."

Tony Pulis: "We know we are now in the bottom three, but survival is in our own hands. If we can win an away game somewhere, it will take a lot of pressure off everyone. I believe we have to win one away from home minimum.

"We have shown we have spirit. But winning games now is vital, we have four away and five at home left. We must win away, we are pretty decent when it comes to home games, but that will not be enough now, we cannot go through a season without an away win and expect to stay up."

Bolton 1-3 Fulham

Gary Megson: "You can't defend at any level - never mind this one - like that at all. It was not a case of defending badly as a unit, ie: the back four; individually we have made three errors that have cost us and we also made a couple of errors which we got away with.

"Defensively we really poor today. I feel only Gary Cahill has performed anything like what I would expect - he was okay without being brilliant."

Roy Hodgson: "I'm happy with the result and the performance, I thought we played very well. I've been a little bit unhappy with the last two results, although not the last two performances.

"When we conceded a goal in injury time I was rather concerned the players would not be able to pick themselves up and give the same performance in the second half which had given us the lead in the first but luckily they did."

Hull City 1-1 Newcastle United

Phil Brown: "It was a scrappy affair, not a great spectacle in terms of football but there was probably a lot of nervous tension about, from both sides. I think we came out of the traps and approached the game in the right manner and got our noses in front with a great goal.

"But then that lapse of concentration in the first half and we allowed a poor goal from our point of view."

Chris Hughton: "I'm disappointed we didn't get the three points we came for. We gave away a poor defensive goal very early in the game, which rocked us and gave them the confidence they needed.

"But having scored our goal at a good time, I was convinced at half-time that we were in the ascendancy and we'd come out and that would enable us to get the three points."

Sunderland 1-2 Wigan

Ricky Sbragia: "It would have been nice to have got something today, but even when we were sitting reasonably pretty four or five weeks ago, I always thought we were still in there, to be quite honest with you, because teams are capable of beating each other.

"We have got difficult games at West Brom and Portsmouth - they are in that situation as well as us. We need a couple of wins, and a couple of wins quickly. But even when we had that seven-point gap, I always felt we were still in it."

Steve Bruce: "We are delighted because you can't go, a club like ours - or any club, for that matter - six or seven weeks without getting a victory in this division. Even though the old spiel comes out that we have played some big teams over the last few weeks and been a bit unfortunate, you need to win.

"In my opinion, a club like ours always needs 10 wins - we have got there and that's our first call. To come here and the way we have played delighted me, and the two new boys. It can only do them the world of good."

Middlesbrough 1-1 Portsmouth

Gareth Southgate: "It's one of those situations where I am going to get slaughtered whatever I say, so I'm going to say what I believe. Some of the chants (Boro fans sung "we've only got one player" were disrespectful to the rest of the team.

"The crowd are right to laud Tuncay's efforts but we will win and lose as a team. The other lads may not have been as eye-catching but they were making important saves, blocks and interceptions. It's hurtful for a lot of the other players. We will survive as a club and as a town by everyone pulling together."

Paul Hart: "It is very, very disappointing because going into the last minute in front you think you've cracked it. But if you had asked me before if I would have settled for a point I would have said yes.

"We are not shipping goals like we were, and goal difference could turn out to be important in the final reckoning."

Eurosport