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Liverpool owner John W Henry has praised Kenny Dalglish’s work at Anfield but reiterated that he was not prepared to discuss his long-term future at the club.

Dalglish has seen Liverpool exit the FA Cup and Europa League since taking charge until the end of the season following Roy Hodgson’s departure, but their league form has improved and the 2-0 win at Sunderland on Sunday keeps their faint hopes of returning to Europe next season alive.

“He has done very well,” Henry said in the Daily Mirror. “It’s all very positive. Someone was saying that people weren’t happy here, but I think since that person left people are happier.”

On Dalglish’s future, he added: “What is going on in that regard is private. It is something called the Liverpool way and you do these things behind closed doors. I am not going to talk about these things.”

Henry accepted that – with a four-point gap to make up on Tottenham having played an extra game – it will be difficult for Liverpool to qualify for the Europa League but feels they still have a chance.

“We will have to have a lot of days like [the victory at Sunderland] to do that,” he said. “Tottenham are in fifth and they look very good so we will have to play extraordinarily well, and we will have to win when they come to Anfield to have a shot at that, but we will do our best.”

Dalglish, like Henry, has been reluctant to discuss his future in public and dismissed recent stories in the press about the contract negotiations.

“I have seen I have asked for four years,” Dalglish said. “Well, I don’t know who I am supposed to have asked. I have seen I was offered two – don’t know where that has come from.

“People ask if I have spoken to the owners and of course I have. I speak to them regularly every week. It is their club, and they are fantastic owners, very supportive. There have been no detailed discussions about next season.

“Until there is something to be said, there is nothing. For me that is not a problem. For me, the club is most important, bar one instance when I left the club last time. There is no pressure on anyone.”

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Bayer Leverkusen moved to within seven points of Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund and strengthened their hold on second place with a comfortable 2-0 win over Schalke.

An Eren Derdiyok strike and a Christoph Metzelder own goal earned the home side the victory to take them five points ahead of third-placed Hannover with seven games remaining.

A last-minute goal from Georg Niedermaier earned Stuttgart a 1-1 draw in their relegation clash with Wolfsburg, who failed to give Felix Magath a winning start to his time in charge.

Magath took the reins two days ago and things looked promising when Grafite scored the opener five minutes before the break.

However, Niedermaier snatched a draw in the final seconds to keep Stuttgart just above the bottom three, two points and two places better off than their opponents.

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Inter Milan took full advantage of AC Milan’s defeat on Saturday as they defeated Lecce 1-0 to move two points behind the leaders.

Giampaolo Pazzini’s match-winner after 52 minutes had a suspicion of handball about it but the hosts just about deserved the three points after an improved second-half display.

In the final game of the weekend, Napoli also piled the pressure onto Milan as their 2-1 win over Cagliari moved them within three points of the leaders.

Edinson Cavani put Napoli ahead with a penalty early in the second half, but Robert Acquafresca equalised soon afterwards. Cavani’s second sealed the win as the fans in the Stadio San Paolo started dreaming about the Scudetto ahead of the Milan derby in the next round of Serie A matches.

Alessandro Del Piero struck a second-half winner to end Juventus‘ four-game losing streak as they defeated lowly Brescia 2-1.

Milos Krasic gave the Turin side a first-half lead, but that was cancelled out by Citadin Eder before the interval. Del Piero would not be denied, though, and struck with 22 minutes remaining, with any hopes of a Brescia comeback then ended by Victor Mareco’s dismissal.

Roma captain Francesco Totti scored twice as the Giallorossi claimed a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina.

Both Totti strikes were equalisers, with the first coming after Adrian Mutu had put the home side ahead in the 21st minute. Alessandro Gamberini then gave Fiorentina a 2-1 lead, and Mutu almost extended the advantage before half-time but was denied by the post.

Totti struck again in the 52nd minute but Roma failed to find the winner as they lost ground this weekend on the top four teams.

Udinese continued their push for a place in the Champions League next season with a 2-0 victory over Catania at the Stadio Friuli. Goals from Gokhan Inler and Antonio Di Natale earned Francesco Guidolin’s side their fourth win in a row and their 10th win in 13 unbeaten matches in 2011.

Parma claimed a crucial 1-0 win in their relegation battle with Sampdoria thanks to Cristian Zaccardo’s second-half winner. Massimo Maccarone missed a late penalty for Sampdoria, who have now won once in their past 12 league games, to continue their miserable late-season form that has left them just three points above the drop zone.

Chievo eased their Serie A relegation fears with a 2-1 triumph at bottom side Bari.

Sergio Pellissier opened the scoring for the visitors in the 38th minute but Bari got back on level terms with a penalty from Abdelkader Ghezzal late in the first half. Davide Moscardelli put the Verona side back in front for good soon after the restart.

Bologna reached the 40-point mark for the season as they played out a 1-1 draw with Genoa that suited both teams. Marco Di Vaio put the hosts ahead after 28 minutes, but they could not hang on to their lead for long as Dario Dainelli levelled two minutes before the break.

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Sevilla kept their chances of achieving top-four finish alive with a fine 1-0 win at Valencia.

Ivan Rakitic scored the only goal midway through the second half, slamming home a loose ball to put his side to within 12 points of Valencia who occupy fourth spot. They were indebted to goalkeeper Javi Varas for the win, with his string of fine saves keeping Valencia at bay.

Salomon Rondon hit both goals as Malaga boosted their chances of Primera Division survival with a precious 2-0 win at home to Espanyol.

The Venezuela striker scored twice in the first 25 minutes to give the Andalusians only their fourth home win in the league this season. It was, though, a second successive win for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Villarreal put their recent indifferent domestic form behind them with a 1-0 triumph against fellow European hopefuls Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

The Yellow Submarine had won just one of their previous seven Primera Division matches, but they were victorious again thanks to Marco Ruben`s second-half header.

Villarreal now boast a massive 11-point advantage over Espanyol in fifth.

Osasuna took a huge step towards Primera Division survival as they thrashed struggling Hercules 4-0 in Alicante to move into the top half of the table with nine rounds of the championship remaining.

Goals from Javier Camunas and Nelson saw the Pamplona-based side go two up before the break, before second-half strikes from Krisztian Vadocz and Kike Sola sealed an emphatic victory for the northerners.

Hercules announced on Sunday evening that coach Esteban Vigo has left the club.

On-loan forward Giovani dos Santos struck a second-half winner against Real Sociedad to help Racing Santander ease themselves away from relegation trouble with a 2-1 win.

After a first half littered with shots from distance, Santander took the lead with a spectacular opener from Kennedy Bakircioglu. Antoine Griezmann brought Sociedad level after the break, before Tottenham forward Giovani settled matters.

A late Ruben free-kick earned Levante a 1-0 win against Deportivo La Coruna at the Estadio Riazor and maintained the Valencia club’s impressive recent run of form. Deportivo have now suffered back-to-back defeats having previously been unbeaten in five, while Levante’s success means they have lost just once in nine Primera Division matches.

Sporting Gijon gave their hopes of surviving the drop a further boost whilst damaging Almeria‘s own chances after claiming a 1-0 win in the clash between the two relegation rivals.

Miguel De Las Cuevas’ hotly-disputed early strike proved the difference as Sporting, who started the match one spot and three points above 18th-placed Almeria, continued their recent revival with their seventh win of the campaign – five of which have come in the last 11 games.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp believes he can win the Premier League during his tenure – and has criticised outspoken fans who believe the club should be doing better this season.

Hopes of a first league title since 1961 have faded this term with Spurs now 14 points behind Manchester United following Saturday’s goalless draw at home to relegation threatened West Ham United.

But Redknapp believes his team will continue to improve and could challenge the status quo.

He said: “I think we have got a title in us at this club. But I don’t think about finishing in the top four too much, really. “I don’t go to sleep worrying about it, thinking ‘I’ve got to get in the Champions League because Tottenham are always in it every year!’ Yeah, Tottenham always used to finish above Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool … they get in every year. I have come here and f***ed up their team!

“If we finish fifth and reach the Champions League quarter-finals … what can you do? I will not lose any sleep over it.

“Whether other people who don’t know football are satisfied, I don’t know. Are we really supposed to finish above Man City, after the money they have spent? And Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United…? I think I can win the title with Tottenham but I can’t put a time-frame on it.”

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