Mourinho: City have upper hand; Rush says Reds are better at chasing
Liverpool may have relinquished the lead in the English Premiership following their 0-0 draw with Everton yesterday morning (Singapore time).
However, former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes that the turning point came two months ago - when Juergen Klopp's men failed to deal a psychological blow to Manchester City.
The Portuguese, who was speaking as a guest pundit on beIN Sports, was referring to the last week of January, when City lost 2-1 to Newcastle United, but Liverpool could only draw 1-1 with Leicester City at Anfield the next day.
"I had that little feeling when City lost a match and Liverpool drew at home," said Mourinho.
"These are the matches where you have to do it and get that opportunity.
"When they lose one, you must win the next one. Liverpool lost a few opportunities. City lost and the next day they got the positive energy back because Liverpool drew."
The positive energy is evident in Pep Guardiola's men.
Since their defeat at Newcastle, they have strung together five consecutive wins in the EPL and also retained the League Cup, while Liverpool saw their advantage evaporate following three draws in five matches.
Mourinho continued: "Liverpool lost the lead, City are now top of the table. They have the destiny in their hands and Liverpool lost the control.
"Two points lost here and there, they have lost a few important points to leave them in the hands of others.
"The psychological factor is very important."
But Liverpool legend Ian Rush, who was a key part of the last Reds squad to win the English top-flight title in 1990, believes there will be more twists and turns coming. He remains confident that Klopp's men will end the title drought this season.
CONFIDENT RUSH
Rush told talkSPORT: "Liverpool are better coming from behind. When you're top, everyone wants to beat you. But when you're second, Liverpool prefer to be in that position.
"I'm very confident, to tell you the truth. Yes, Manchester City have a great manager and a great squad, but there'll be a few ups and downs before the end of the season.
"I just feel with the run-in Liverpool have, we've got Man United out of the way, we've got Everton out of the way.
"If you don't beat Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at home, maybe you don't deserve to win the title, but we've got home support in those games and the other games are all winnable. So I'm quite confident."
However, Mourinho believes that Klopp's men will be mentally drained.
He said: "Now they have to think about others and not just themselves. They are thinking about two matches every weekend - their match and City's match."
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