Rafa Benitez has been my man of the season so far. Though maybe not for the right reasons; he just keeps writing headlines for us. That seems likely to last until the end of this season at the very least. Here’s my thoughts on his latest ill-tempered outburst.

Liverpool's 1-0 defeat to Everton threw up further questions around the mindset of their manager.

Rafael Benitez's post-match comments were a model in self justification and did little service to his team or their opponents, who were worthy if tardy winners on the night.

Football managers are not expected to be good losers yet they are still expected to show grace in defeat. When questioned about the injury to Steven Gerrard, Benitez used the potential absence of his best player as proof that he had been correct to sub his captain as they conceded vital points to Wigan.

The man who prior to the weekend's victory over Chelsea claimed to never read the newspapers said: "When I took him off there everyone was saying he had to play every single minute of every match. Now you have seen the consequences."

Further proof, along the lines of his "that is a fact" anti-Ferguson rant, that the Spaniard's imbued sense of self-worth seems to have overtaken his players' welfare. His words featured little sympathy for the player who has done most to keep his team in the hunt for honours.

He went on: "We are really disappointed, to play for a long time with 10 men and to concede like that from a deflection at the end, you have to be disappointed.

"The turning point of the game was the second yellow card for Lucas, I was not happy, but I do not want to say anything about the referee." Benitez went on to say that his Brazilian midfielder, also responsible for the mistaken hack which cost Liverpool a penalty at Wigan, had not touched Tony Hibbert. Those watching on TV, even those UK viewers denied seeing Dan Gosling's winner by ITV's pathetic coverage, will say that referee Phil Dowd gave the only decision he could give, having booked Lucas earlier. They should also applaud Gosling's teenage skill and determination in settling the tie.

David Moyes meanwhile, with a glint in those piercing blue eyes, was only too happy to celebrate his team's success "with a lot of class and dignity". The Scot was making more than a passing reference to the Spaniard, who two years ago called Everton "a small club" and also to the Spaniard's post-match comments about Moyes' tactics after the first, drawn match in the tie.

Benitez had continued his jibes by comparing Everton's tactics to those he adopted when he was a coach at one of Spanish football's minnows, "I have never played like that here, and never did this while I was at Valencia, maybe at Extremadura a few times," he said.

Game, set and match to Moyes on this occasion. The football, with the best of a bad lot played by Everton, had done his talking for him.

Meanwhile Benitez, with his prepared "dossiers", his airing of the club's dirty linen in public and his assertion that Robbie Keane would still be a Liverpool player after the transfer window, let alone the cold shoulder treatment meted out to the Irishman, is losing credibility with every public utterance.

His team remain in a fine position to win their first championship in a generation yet, with his surly behaviour and overt snobbery against his opponents, their manager can make them as unpopular a title winner as Chelsea and Manchester United ever were.

Thanks for reading. More soon. Email me at john.brewin@soccernet.com or leave a comment below.