Manchester United will again end the season with their hands on the Premier League trophy for one reason only - Sir Alex Ferguson.

The defending champions moved into pole position in the title race following Sunday's comprehensive 3-0 drubbing of 10-man Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Javier Mascherano's dismissal by referee Steve Bennett was a huge factor in the Red Devils' ultimate dominance of the game.

But I believe Rafa Benitez's reaction to the sending-off showed why he will never get his hands on England's ultimate prize.

The Spaniard is now in his fourth season at Anfield, and although he has delivered success on the European stage and in domestic cup competitions, Premier League glory has never been on Liverpool's horizon under his tenure.

This season they are in a fierce scrap with Merseyside rivals Everton just to secure fourth place and lie a whopping 14 points behind leaders United.

Benitez's problem, and he is not alone as Messrs Grant and Wenger also suffer from this, is that he does not know when to draw the line between defending his players - and giving them a good old-fashioned rollocking.

In recent weeks, Ashley Cole and Mascherano displayed a complete lack of respect for referees in shows of petulance which flew in the face of their 'role model' tags for youngsters up and down the country.

Both players have been widely condemned for their reactions to refereeing decisions - but even though Cole 'apologised' for his wild lunge on Alan Hutton he did it through gritted teeth with a smirk on his face.

Mascherano, meanwhile, has been backed by Benitez in his claim that he was simply asking Mr Bennett why he had been booked for a wild tackle on Paul Scholes before racing 20 yards to aggressively question a yellow card for Fernando Torres.

What both players fail to realise is that the game was screened to millions of fans around the globe, all of whom saw the Argentine international constantly chip away in Bennett's ear as well as wagging his finger in his direction.

I'm a West Brom fan so have no allegiance to any top-flight team, but one thing I know for sure is that Ferguson would have been seething if any of his players had acted in such a way.

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware Ferguson is no saint and is front of the queue when it comes to moaning about refereeing decisions.

But faced with a similar incident to the two in the spotlight here, the fiery Scot would've issued a curt 'it will be dealt with internally' - and it is this approach which ensures he commands total respect from his multi-million pound squad.

"The boy had already been booked and dissent is dissent, I feel he should not have got involved," was Ferguson's take on the flashpoint, while Benitez firmly pointed his finger at Bennett, saying: "Javier was sent off for dissent, but to be sent off for asking the official something is a surprise. He knows he made a mistake, but in a big game like this it is difficult to understand."

I'd have a lot more respect for Benitez if he just admitted Mascherano, who has been a revelation for the Reds this season, simply lost his head in the heat of the battle and ultimately cost his team a chance of victory.

Until that day comes, Ferguson will continue to have the last laugh.