"I know there can be some anxiety in the atmosphere because we are in such a fantastic position," said Benitez.
"But all I can say is that back in August we weren't thinking about winning the league in January. We have to be calm, don't panic, take one game at a time and then in May we may be in a position to win the title.
"We want to try and get three points from every game we play, starting tonight against Everton. The league table doesn't mean too much at the moment, but for the confidence of the players then clearly it's better to be at the top. That's where I'd prefer to be.
"We are expecting a tough game against Everton because clearly they are in a good moment right now. They are not conceding goals, they are scoring and they are playing well. We beat them at Goodison earlier in the season but I think it will be more difficult tonight."