EVENTS on so-called 'Grand Slam Sunday' went a long way towards showing why Manchester United rather than Liverpool will win the Premier League this season.

Liverpool are gradually closing the gap on England's traditional title challengers but they are not there yet.

In Fernando Torres, they now have the top striker needed to mount a bid for the league. Others like Ryan Babel will play a significant part in years to come.

But, when it comes to the domestic league, Liverpool still lack that killer instinct.

Manchester United had the experience to grind out a 1-0 victory at Anfield on Sunday, even though they were not at their best.

So many of their players have been there and done it, while many of Liverpool's players have been involved in successful European campaigns but not league title wins.

Of Liverpool's current squad, only Fabio Aurelio and Momo Sissoko have played any significant part in winning a major European league - under Rafa Benitez's tutelage at Valencia.

They will continue to do well in Europe - in fact I still think they may win the Champions League this season.

Benitez understands the dynamics of European football but still takes too many risks with team selection in the Premier League.

The highly impressive win at Marseille - the first time an English club has ever won there - was perhaps understandably the focus last week, given the possibility of elimination from the Champions League.

But the risks they took in preparation for that game led to defeat at Reading and they looked emotionally drained by the time Manchester United came around.

Benitez is keen to keep his players fresh for the run-in but by then, as in previous seasons, they may have left themselves with too much to do.

Teams that win the league, given the competition between the top four in England, need to play their strongest team almost every week.

Manchester United rest fewer players than they used to do and it paid off for them last year.

In the past, Alex Ferguson often rested a key player or two against struggling sides.

This year he left out Cristiano Ronaldo against Bolton and it cost them three points.

But Ferguson knows what it takes to win the title and his side can get better as the season goes on, while Arsenal may already be at their peak performance.

Surprisingly, Chelsea seemed to confirm on Sunday that they too do not have the squad to challenge for the title any more.

There is talk of a striker like Nicolas Anelka arriving in January but, if that does not happen, fourth place is a distinct possibility.

* Bolton fans were right to be upset with the treatment they received at the hands of the Serbian police during their recent UEFA Cup trip to Red Star Belgrade.

As a holidaying Bolton supporter, I arrived in Belgrade early and saw no hint of danger during my time there.

The police decision to detain around 200 of the travelling supporters on matchday for their own safety seemed excessive.

Some fans are said to have escaped but spare a thought for the man who inadvertently got a taxi back to the hotel where the Bolton fans were being held and was recaptured by the police.

Apparently it provided the biggest laugh the detainees had had all day.