Peter Crouch has insisted that Liverpool can't be overlooked in the race for the Premier League title after they closed a 14-point gap to momentarily nudge ahead of Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds edged to a nervy 2-0 win over Watford at Anfield courtesy of goals from Diogo Jota and Fabinho; who bagged a late penalty. That result meant Jurgen Klopp's men briefly moved ahead of their title rivals at the summit of the league - although it didn't take long for City to reclaim their spot.
Manchester City responded by dispatching Burnley with a routine 2-0 win at Turf Moor to reclaim their spot at the top of the table. The two sides are set to meet in a mouth-watering clash next weekend at the Etihad in a showdown that is likely to go a long way in deciding who will claim the domestic crown.
That seemed almost unthinkable as recently as January, when City held a double digit lead over Klopp's side. But Liverpool have some remarkable grit to reel their title rivals back in - and Crouch is adamant that such an "incredible achievement" shows exactly why Liverpool are still well in the race to overhaul Pep Guardiola's side in the final weeks of the season.
He told BT Sport prior to City's win over Burnley: "Yeah I don’t think we can underestimate that Liverpool have managed to close a 14-point gap to one of the best teams that we have ever seen in the Premier League. And now being top of the league, it is an incredible achievement already.
Join the debate! Do you think that Liverpool have the edge in the race for the Premier League title? Let us know here.
"There is still work to be done, their performance was not good today but they got the job done and they will now put this performance behind them and they have now put the pressure right back on Manchester City this afternoon."
Despite Liverpool's statement victory, it didn't take long for City to leapfrog the Reds. Kevin de Bruyne fired City into the lead against the Clarets after just five minutes - meaning by the time Klopp sat down for his post-match press conference, Liverpool had already been knocked off of their new perch.
But the Reds boss saw the funny side in his post-match press conference before he went on to insist that his side couldn't afford to "give an inch" in the title race if they are to pip City to the Premier League crown.
