Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits continuing off-field speculation about the club is making it difficult for the side to concentrate fully on football.

Uncertainty over the ownership of the Anfield outfit and the position of manager Rafael Benitez have made for recurring headlines recently.

Form on the pitch has also been disappointing and the Reds needed a late Peter Crouch equaliser last night to earn a 2-2 Premier League draw with Aston Villa at Anfield.

'It is not just this week, it has been going on for some time and it is certainly not helping the players,' Gerrard told Setanta Sports.

'I have got to be careful what I say about the situation but it is certainly not helping the team.

'We know what is going on, but as players you have got a job to do on the pitch.

'You try to put what is going on off the pitch to the back of your mind but sometimes it is impossible, when it is every day.'

The result left Liverpool outside the Champions League places