Liverpool midfielder Albert Riera insists they will not be found wanting when the Premier League title race hots up.

Liverpool midfielder Albert Riera insists they will not be found wanting when the title race hots up.

Manchester United narrowed the gap to the Barclays Premier League leaders to five points by defeating Chelsea at Old Trafford yesterday.

And the reigning champions could be in pole position this weekend after they entertain Wigan on Wednesday and then Bolton on Saturday at the Reebok Stadium.

Liverpool are not in action until Monday when they meet fellow high-fliers Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Rafael Benitez's side go into that match on the back of a goalless draw against Stoke.

England midfielder Steven Gerrard twice came close to breaking the deadlock in the last five minutes of the game.

However his free-kick rattled the bar and a shot came back off the post with goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen beaten.

It was a lacklustre display by Liverpool but Riera claims the attitude of the players in the wake of that performance proves they are ready for the challenge ahead.

"It showed me the character of the team," he told the Liverpool Echo. "When I walked into the dressing room after the game everyone was devastated that we had only drawn a difficult away game.

"Stoke have a very good record at home and lots of teams have struggled to beat them.

"But we are top of the league and we had hoped to go there and win. We will remember this feeling and we will give everything for it not to happen again."

The Spaniard knows that in England and in his homeland there can be twists and turns in every game.

He said: "I watched Barcelona, who are top of La Liga, play against bottom club Osasuna.

"Everyone expected Barcelona to win comfortably but with 10 minutes remaining they were losing 2-1.

"They ended up scoring two goals in the last 10 minutes to win the game but it was a much tougher match for them than expected.

"This is the way football is - you can never take victories for granted because every team can be a danger.

"You have to work for every point. I can tell our fans that we will compete for every single point in every game that we play."