Manchester United 2 Liverpool 0

by Mark Bradley for the "Press Association"

A dominant centre-back has been at the top of Liverpool's shopping list since the start of the season.
They may have to extend it to include a new goalkeeper after Brad Friedel's calamitous performance at
Old Trafford. 

Friedel was by no means the only Liverpool player who failed to rise to the occasion against Manchester
United, with Michael Owen almost invisible as he was starved of service by a ponderous supply line from
midfield. 

Yet after surviving two early mistakes, the 'keeper flapped at a corner from David Beckham, succeeded
only in punching the ball into the air. It hit Jason McAteer's arm as it dropped, and Denis Irwin converted
the ensuing penalty. 

Assured performances by Gary Neville, moved to centre-back to cope with Owen's pace, and Jaap Stam
ensured there was no way back for Liverpool in a stormy match which produced six bookings in the first
half alone. 

And the visitors' creaky defence was caught out yet again with 11 minutes left as Paul Scholes' strike
sealed victory after Andy Cole had finally been called off the bench to invigorate the United attack. 

Cole had been ignored at the start in favour of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Phil Neville came in for
Henning Berg to allow his brother to crucially switch inside, and Scholes also earned a well-deserved
recall for Jesper Blomqvist. 

Changes were hardly surprising given United's crushing 3-0 defeat at Highbury last Sunday, while
Liverpool bosses Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier brought in four players following their own embarrassing
3-3 draw at home to Charlton. 

Paul Ince was back, while Karlheinz Riedle started in place of Robbie Fowler, but even the introduction of
two new full-backs in McAteer and Stig Bjornebye for Steve Staunton and Vegard Heggem failed to stiffen
Liverpool's resolve at the back. 

The brittle Liverpool defence at first creaked and groaned, then bent under the pressure, before finally
breaking in two - due mainly to Friedel's failure to dominate his penalty area. 

Despite one good save from Roy Keane, the American had two fortunate escapes when he miskicked a
clearance and then let a Solskjaer shot slip under his body and go just wide. 

But his luck soon ran out, as he failed to clear the corner which led to McAteer's handball and the calm
side-footed penalty from Irwin that gave United the lead. 

If ever a fixture of this magnitude and tradition needed extra spice, Ferguson had provided it by calling
former Old Trafford favourite Ince a "big-time Charlie" in his TV documentary last night. 

And the tackles flew in from all angles in the first period. But for all the blood and thunder, both sides
lacked width to escape the congested midfield, and it was not until five minutes before the break that the
chances flowed at either end. 

Peter Schmeichel, who had earlier pushed a Jamie Redknapp free-kick around the post, did even better
when an Ince shot was deflected, while Gary Neville timed a tackle on Owen to perfection. 

After the break, Liverpool were carved open yet again as Ryan Giggs set up Solskjaer, who steered his
shot past Friedel but also past the far post. 

Schmeichel still had to be alert to save a deflected effort from Patrik Berger, and Phil Neville stepped in
neatly to dispossess Owen in the penalty area, as Liverpool started to take control of the midfield. 

Still there were flashpoints, especially an angry exchange between Redknapp and David Beckham that
presumably had little to do with their pop star partners' relative musical talents. 

But when Liverpool did have the ball in the net after 68 minutes when Schmeichel spilled a shot from
Berger, Riedle's tap-in was ruled offside. 

United assistant manager Brian Kidd raged at his side from the touchline, seemingly to maintain their
concentration, as Liverpool pressed, but Friedel still had to be alert to clear on the edge of the area as
Yorke broke clear. 

Cole was finally given his chance midway through the second half, as he replaced Solskjaer to rapturous
applause, while Fowler was unsurprisingly introduced soon afterwards for Riedle. 

Yet it was Scholes who sealed victory with 11 minutes left. Liverpool were left exposed at the back as
they piled forward for a corner, and Yorke capitalised on a half-clearance to send Cole racing through the
left-hand channel. 

He took his time before crossing, and the ball eluded everyone until it fell to Scholes on the edge of the
area, and the England midfielder produced a sizzling shot which gave Friedel no chance as it went into
the top corner. 

Cole, who clearly had a point to prove to his manager, hit the side-netting soon afterwards, while Scholes
somehow shot wide from the edge of the area after the former Newcastle striker again tormented the
Liverpool back four before shooting wide late on. 

"You've sold your soul to Sky," taunted the Liverpool fans at the end. United's supporters did not care - by
that time, they had beaten their biggest Premiership rivals and gone third above them on goal difference. 

Teams 

Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Stam, Beckham, Giggs, P. Neville, Keane, Scholes (Butt 88),
Yorke, Solskjaer (Cole 69). 

Subs Not Used: Blomqvist, Van Der Gouw, Berg. 

Booked: Giggs, P. Neville, Stam, Scholes. 

Goals: Irwin 19 pen, Scholes 79. 

Liverpool: Friedel, McAteer, Babb, McManaman, Owen, Redknapp, Riedle (Fowler 75), Berger, Ince,
Bjornebye, Carragher. 

Subs Not Used: James, Heggem, Matteo, Leonhardsen. 

Booked: Carragher, Ince, Berger, Redknapp. 

Att: 55,181 

Ref: S Lodge (Barnsley).