What has Liverpool's 4-1 win at Old Trafford done for the race for the English title? Oneclassforever's Matt gathers the fall-out from Manchester United's third league defeat of the season...
Has anything changed?
Manchester United still command a four point lead at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, which likely means that the Red Devils will have to drop points in three or more fixtures before the season's end if Liverpool are to claim the title. They have only dropped points in eight matches to this point.
After the last time that Manchester United lost in the league, on November 8, they embarked on a run of clean sheets - the likes of which had never been seen before. They managed to turn a seven point deficit into a seven point advantage while Liverpool wobbled, and wobbled critically.
Much has been made of Rafael Benitez's rant against Sir Alex Ferguson, but that outburst only served to put Manchester United's consistency, and Liverpool's lack of it, into the spotlight. Simply, United's form had been little short of perfection.
On a bedrock of a goalkeeper who forgot what it felt like to concede, a pair of centre-backs to rival the best partnerships the game has seen, through to a strike line that created and scored with ease, United had - perhaps should still have - it all. If they respond to this defeat with typical resolution and robustness, then Liverpool may have to forget about ending their near two decade wait for the crown.
But some cracks are showing.
Edwin van der Sar was ordinary behind a fallible back-four. Nemanja Vidic was a shoddy parody of his real self. Rio Ferdinand was not much better; his decision to duck a high-ball and allow Andrea Dossena behind to score was uncharacteristic of his season, but entirely in keeping with a Manchester United off-day - a hen's tooth of an event.
Further up the field, the ease with which Michael Carrick exercised his passing repertoire over the winter was replaced with something approaching an average midfield performance. Cristiano Ronaldo papered the cracks of an insipid display with a penalty, while Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez foraged for involvement in vain.
United don't have many days like this, much less at Old Trafford. The last time they were defeated so heavily in league competition at home, it was a QPR victory and a Dennis Bailey hat-trick that did it. That was New Years Day, 1992, when the Da Silva twins were still in nappies.
Why was today any different? What did Liverpool do that was so extraordinary?
Simply put, Liverpool made very few mistakes and punished the ones made by their opponents: not exactly rocket science. Aside from Reina's trip on Park Ji-Sung, the team in grey were disciplined and regimented. When United broke with their usual pace, instead of a piecemeal chasing pack at the other end of the field, they were usually confronted with six men in grey, with Lucas and Mascherano dropping back.
Going forward, Liverpool picked up where they left off against Real Madrid in midweek, capitalising on their opponents' mistakes and making their presence count with their heavy hitters in the final third. United fell on their own sword four times in one match. From Vidic's one-man comedy hour to getting caught on the break for Gerrard's penalty, through to Ferdinand's injury time howler, United were a sorry prospect. In one afternoon, they conceded as many goals at Old Trafford as they had done in three months of league competition.
For their part, Liverpool executed their game plan to a T. The pace of Fernando Torres fatally worried Vidic, who was unnerved from the outset. Steven Gerrard, playing as a second striker, picked up a good majority of loose balls in the United half; on another day, each and every one of them would have had a United name on it. Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva in the midfield outfought and outmanoeuvred their South American counterpart, Anderson, and also Carrick. Fabio Aurelio kept Ronaldo in check, while Martin Skrtel continued his quest to become the league's number one centre back. Aside from the penalty kick, there was precious few clear-cut chances carved out by the hosts - a feat on the part of the Scousers which deserves high praise. Liverpool were steady, solid and settled - as Man United have been for much of the past three months.
Admittedly, Rafa Benitez does not have the same standard of squad from which to choose his players as Sir Alex Ferguson. If he had, then Liverpool would doubtless still be top of the league. When the Anfield side gather their best XI, they are more than a match for anyone. Chelsea and Manchester United have both been defeated in a league season, while a point has already been taken off Arsenal. Add in two points dropped in games at home against Stoke City, Fulham, West Ham United, Hull, Everton and Manchester City, and Liverpool would be certainly out of sight at this stage.
Against the 'lesser' Premier League sides, Manchester United are simply peerless at home. Only Newcastle United, on the first weekend of the season, had taken anything before Liverpool's visit and it is that type of methodical consistency that could ultimately decide the fate of this year's championship, and not just winning the big games.
Midweek, we were given just a glimpse of a jaded Manchester United in the Champions League; they looked human after months of supremacy. Today, that flaw was exacerbated by an excellent Liverpool, thus there could be life left in this old dog of a title race. Liverpool have gained an inch, but it's up to Manchester United to surrender the mile. Add to that the steady run of results that Guus Hiddink has been inspiring at Chelsea and we may just have a tussle.
Has anything changed?
nah nah matthew.
happy birthday.
and..
you're only hot for today. not any others. haha! just joking.
p/s : karen here btw.
i cant sign in and post so kind man helped me. xD
bye bye.