Manuel Pellegrini: 'Steven Gerrard slip didn't decide title'

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is adamant that Steven Gerrard's slip did not decide the title race last season.

Liverpool were in prime position to claim their first Premier League title in 24 years but a defeat to Chelsea, in which an error by the Reds skipper allowed Demba Ba to score a crucial goal, proved to be decisive in City's triumph ahead of Brendan Rodgers's side.

"I always feel sorry for players who make a mistake, but I don't think that slip by Gerrard decided the title," Pellegrini told reporters.

"Of course, after that game, we knew that if we won our last four games we would be champions. But there were 38 games through the whole year and what happened with Gerrard was not really a mistake.

"It was a problem with the pitch. It is not that he missed a pass inside the box. It was slippery and it can happen to any player."

City and Liverpool face off in their first clash of the season on Monday.