Liverpool stun Manchester United

So who says the title, and a clean sweep of all the honours, is a shoo-in for Manchester United now? After humiliating Real Madrid in midweek, Liverpool scored four again at Old Trafford yesterday and, to borrow Sir Alex Ferguson’s memorable phrase, it really is “squeaky bum time” for United now.
Resurgent Chelsea, undefeated under Guus Hiddink, could narrow the gap at the top of the table to four points by beating Manchester City at home this afternoon. That said, the talk of football today will be the comprehensive nature of Liverpol’s triumph here — the first time Rafa Benitez had experienced victory after enduring so many nightmares at the self-styled “Theatre of Dreams”.
Ferguson’s claim that United were the better team was ridiculously biased, even by the old grouse’s notoriously one-eyed standards. It was too risible for Benitez to bother to gainsay. The stats border on the historic.
It was the first time United had conceded four goals at home since 1992, when Queens Park Rangers upset the odds under Gerry Francis, with the unsung Dennis Bailey contributing a hat-trick.
Steven Gerrard’s penalty was the first the hosts had conceded at Old Trafford in the Premier League for two years. The result completed a home and away double for Liverpool over their great rivals, while for the league leaders it halted a run of 11 league wins on the trot. Nemanja Vidic was sent off for fouling Gerrard, reducing United to 10 men, but that was after 75 minutes, by which time Liverpool were 2-1 up and looking good.
For the typically voluble scouse contingent it was a red-letter day to evoke misty-eyed memories of their club’s halcyon years. For Graeme Souness read the leonine Gerrard, for Ian Rush the predatory Fernando Torres. After he had scored twice against Real, Gerrard was lauded as “the best player in the world” by a judge with personal experience of such things, Zinedine Zidane. The dynamic midfielder was again a colossal influence but had to share top billing with the pacy, gimlet-eyed Torres.
The outcome was all the more remarkable after the afternoon had begun badly for Liverpool. The influential Xabi Alonso was unfit and Alvaro Arbeloa tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up, necessitating a defensive shuffle. Jamie Carragher switched to right-back and Sami Hyypia was drafted in at centre-half. The implications of Hyypia’s lack of pace were still being digested when bad became worse for Benitez and company midway through the first half, Pepe Reina bringing down Ji-Sung Park for an obvious penalty, efficiently dispatched by Cristiano Ronaldo.
You would have staked a bank’s Government bailout against what was to follow. Ferguson, standing on the touchline in a coat reminiscent of Michael Foot, had the legs cut from under him and took to twitching from a seat in the dugout when his previously parsimonious defence leaked a soft equaliser within five minutes. Martin Skrtel’s long clearance upfield saw Torres stride clear of Nemanja Vidic, who was left crimson-faced on his backside as Spain’s European Championship-winning striker tucked a characteristically composed finish into Edwin Van der Sar’s right-hand corner.
Liverpool had an adrenaline rush, United were deflated and the initiative changed hands. Rio Ferdinand’s customary sang-froid deserted him and the accomplished defender was booked for upending Dirk Kuyt.
Liverpool’s stirring march from deficit to profit saw them take the lead shortly before the interval with a collector’s item — a penalty against United at Old Trafford. Gerrard, brought down by Patrice Evra, got up to beat Van der Sar from 12 yards with a shot low to the goalkeeper’s left. Suddenly, the best team in the country were in trouble. A fearful hush came over nine-tenths of the stadium and, as Anderson whirled his arms, calling urgently for more support, the Liverpudlian minority chortled: “Fergie’s right, your fans are s***.” The fans were not alone.
Ronaldo was anonymous, well contained by Fabio Aurelio, and Carlos Tevez was in blunt instrument mode, notably when Wayne Rooney’s inviting layoff caught the Argentinian maladroitly positioned at close range. The crowd called for Ryan Giggs, whose exclusion from the starting line-up after his outstanding performance against Internazionale was as surprising as Ferguson’s preference for Tevez over Dimitar Berbatov.
With 20 minutes left, the cavalry were finally brought into the fray, with Giggs, Berbatov and Paul Scholes sent on to rescue the game. Unfortunately for United, before the reinforcements could have any effect they were negated by the dismissal of Vidic, shown a straight red card by Alan Wiley for pulling down Gerrard 20 yards out. Aurelio stepped up and, from the inside-right channel, curled a delicious free kick, left-footed, over the defensive wall and into Van der Sar’s left corner. It was the crucial goal and, the match won, Benitez brought off Torres with next weekend’s visit of Aston Villa in mind. But if the manager was satisfied, his players weren’t, and in the 90th minute John O’Shea made the costly mistake of allowing a clearance from Reina to bounce, and Andrea Dossena, on for Albert Riera, chipped Van der Sar with the accuracy that brought him similar late success against Real.
Over to Chelsea, who will be hoping their neighbours, Fulham, can do them another favour when United travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday. Vidic’s suspension for that fixture will further encourage Hiddink and his charges.
Click hereto see how Liverpool stormed Old Trafford.
Star man: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Yellow cards: Man Utd: Ferdinand, Van der Sar. Liverpool: Carragher, Skrtel, Mascherano.
Red card: Man Utd: Vidic
Referee: A Wiley. Attendance: 75,569.
Manchester United: Van der Sar 6, O’Shea 5, Ferdinand 6, Vidic 5, Evra 6, Ronaldo 5, Carrick 5 (Giggs 74min), Anderson 5 (Scholes 73min), Park 5 (Berbatov 74min), Rooney 7, Tevez 5.
Liverpool: Reina 6, Carragher 6, Skrtel 6, Hyypia 6, Aurelio 7, Mascherano 6, Lucas 6, Kuyt 6, Gerrard 9 (El Zhar 90min), Riera 5 (Dossena 67min), Torres 9 (Babel 81min).
Source:the times