After his side's 2-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield the Italian said he did not expect Manchester United to do anything other than maintain the pressure until the last match.

The result ensured Chelsea remained in pole position to win their first championship for four years as even if United won at Sunderland later in the day they would have a one-point advantage heading into the final weekend.

Chelsea host Wigan next Sunday with United at home to Stoke.

Ancelotti said he felt the victory at Anfield was significant but always considered it was next week's fixtures that would prove decisive and was not interested in United's game at Sunderland.

"I am happy. It was the key game I think for the fight for the title and we played very well," said the Italian.

"We deserved to win. It was a little bit difficult in the first half but in the second half we did better.

"It was an important performance. There was a lot of pressure on this game and on us but we had a good control of our emotion."

Asked if he would be keeping tabs on how United were getting on as they headed back to London, Ancelotti added: "I don't know if Sunderland can win but we are not so interested.

"I always said the title would be decided at the end of the season and I [still] think so.

"Now the team is fit and showing good personality we have to train for a week and wait."

Once Didier Drogba had converted Steven Gerrard's disastrous 33rd-minute back-pass the life drained out of Liverpool and Frank Lampard's close-range goal nine minutes after the interval applied the finishing touch.

"I never had the time to think about it," said Ancelotti of Gerrard's back-pass.

"It was an important goal because that goal changed the game.

"We had more confidence after that and Liverpool lost some of the strength they showed in the first 30 minutes."

The defeat finally put paid to Liverpool's hopes of securing Champions League football next season, the first time they have missed out on Europe's elite club competition since they finished fifth in 2002/03.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, who has strongly been linked with a summer move to Juventus, once again refused to clarify his future.

But he criticised co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who last month officially put the club up for sale, for creating some of the problems Liverpool have experienced this season by failing to invest heavily in the squad.

"I have four years of a contract [left] so we will see," said Benitez in response to questions about whether he would in charge next season.

"I was talking about the speculation during the last two or three weeks and I cannot be talking about it all the time.

"I won't talk too much about this. Now I want to talk about football.

"Always in the past two years the manager here has been taking responsibility for everything.

"The reality is that if you compare with other teams in terms of money, power and the option you have in the market so you can analyse carefully and then you have answers.

"The fans are very clever, they know what is going on. It is very clear that things are like this now and still we have to carry on going forward.

"Next season we have to do almost everything perfect and if we make one or two mistakes we don't have the possibility to react so it is more difficult for us.

"We will prepare for the next game (at Hull) and then start thinking about things for the future.

"The fans want to know (whether Benitez will be in charge next season) but I want to know what is going on next week against Hull.

"Now we have to concentrate on another game and then prepare for the future."

In midweek Benitez admitted he had not had any assurances from the board - co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have officially put the club up for sale - about his future.

When asked whether he had heard from the new chairman Martin Broughton, brought in by the owners to oversee the sale, Benitez added: "Not yet. I will have a meeting with the chairman in a few days."

Benitez rejected the suggestion the lacklustre post-match lap around Anfield was his farewell to the supporters.

"We have to say thank you to our fans, as always, because they have been very good," he added.

On the game Benitez added: "We approached the game thinking about winning but we are very disappointed because it was a game that was equal and then we conceded the goal and things changed.

"When we conceded the second goal, against Chelsea that is normally the end."