Source: Daily_Mail
Don't thank me! Hodgson warns United's title rivals that Fulham are gunning for them too
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson believes his side can continue to have a major say in the destination of the Premier League trophy, by beating both Liverpool
and Chelsea.
After blowing the title race wide open with Fulham's first home League victory over Manchester United in 45 years, Hodgson is now looking forward to the visit of Liverpool to Craven Cottage on Saturday week and then making the short journey to Stamford Bridge on the first weekend in May.
He said: 'We will be doing our very best to make certain that the performances we give against Liverpool and Chelsea are in no way inferior to the performance we gave against Manchester United. We will work very hard, we will do our very best, and we will try and get points off them.'
United's title charge came to a halt thanks to Danny Murphy's penalty and a goal produced out of a stunning piece of ball-juggling by substitute Zoltan Gera, but Hodgson was quick to warn Anfield boss Rafael Benitez and Chelsea's Guus Hiddink that he now has their teams in his sights.
He said: 'I hope they won't be thanking me when we play them, because there is no interest from my point of view in favouring any of the teams at the top. My only interest is Fulham Football Club, and trying to win matches for Fulham.
'I can assure all Manchester United fans, and certainly my friend Sir Alex Ferguson, that we'll be working every bit as hard, and trying every bit as hard, to beat Liverpool and Chelsea.'
Hodgson believes that Chelsea and Liverpool, despite their 5-0 thumping of Aston Villa, will still struggle to win the title. United will be without Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney, both sent off against Fulham, and Nemanja Vidic, dismissed in the previous 4-1 defeat against Liverpool, for their next League game against Villa.
But Hodgson is still backing Ferguson's side to bounce back. He said: 'All of a sudden it's back to being more of a dog fight albeit, with the game in hand against Portsmouth, Manchester United can still have a comfortable
lead.
'There is going to come a time when life gets a little bit harder. But I don't think there is any team in the country better equipped to deal with that than Manchester United.'
Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, praised by Hodgson for his brilliant performance on Saturday, is also backing United.
He said: 'They're still a world class side and the title is still in their
hands. We've already drawn at Anfield and now we'll be at home,and we're confident against any team at home. '
There is the added incentive of a place in next season's Europa League - the successor to the UEFA Cup.
Having banked the 40 points that should ensure Barclays Premier League survival, Fulham can concentrate on battling Wigan and West Ham for the seventh place in the table that is likely to earn entry into Europe.
