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LFC 2-0 Chelsea
Torres double at the dying moments grabs 3 vital points.
Next match: Everton

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Top LFC..(so far)..

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Skrtel Aurelio

Mascherano

Benayoun Gerrard Alonso Riera

Torres

It's been a busy start to the year for Liverpool, with unexpected draw denting our title hopes, Rafa losing his cool and a win against Chelsea all as we enter February.

First of all, Rafa's rant. Alex Ferguson does it every year. It's part of his psychological plan to disrupt rival managers into concentrating on niggling details and to forget about football. In Rafa's case, for the first time since his arrival he's in the title race after Christmas, so seemed naive in his reaction to ol' purple-nose's comments.

While Rafa was right in what he said, it appeared to have an affect on the Spaniard and his team, leading to a series of unexpected draws against the likes of Stoke and Everton. Manchester United leapfrogged to the top of the league with a game in hand and with 5 home games ahead of them, who can blame Fergie for complaining about the fixture list? Hm...

So after such an uninspiring run, it was understandable that the visit of Chelsea to Anfield wasn't met with the confidence that could have been afforded the previous month.

The prediction was this: Chelsea would get battered for around 96 minutes of football, with Liverpool unable to score. (Despite this, the papers and pundits alike would continue to claim that Liverpool are too defensive and not adventurous at all). Then, in the 97th minute, a Frank Lampard strike hits around 18 players and deflects it's way into the back of the net. Whistle blows. Liverpool release a statement that they're still in the title race. Pundits, particularly Andy Gray and Jamie Redknapp tell us how Frank Lampard is the best player ever in the world...ever.

The reality: Liverpool enjoy the better of the play, with Chelsea seeming toothless and only interested in taking the draw. Lampard lunges into a red card tackle - one of those that I can guarantee if he HADN'T been sent off, pundits would be questioning whether he should have been. Torres grabs a glancing header to make it 1-0. Bosingwa delivers a big boot to Benayoun's back and doesn't even recieve a warning from the ref. Torres taps in a second.

Liverpool 2 - 0 Chelsea (3-0 on aggregate)

Finally, the transfer out of Robbie Keane. The immediate reaction is that Keane didn't get enough of a chance to make an impact - playing bit parts in games, not getting the full 90 minutes and playing out of position. His 'potent strike partnership' with Torres couldn't be put to practice and Benitez didn't seem interested in playing him.

The reality is probably this. Benitez may not have had much of a say into buying him in the first place. Even so, he was given plenty of chances and played in Champions League matches to boot. It just didn't happen for Keane, he didn't seem to fit into the system and, although the few goals he scored were impressive, he missed a lot of golden opportunities - even sitters.

Think of it as a Shevchenko or Morientes signing; players who were outstanding for their previous clubs that just couldn't reach the same level in a new environment. Spurs fans will be hoping Keane does better on his return than the other two though.

***Slightly bitter disclaimer***
I don't think SkySports or anyone else should make out that Keane was raped daily with a hot iron during his time at Liverpool. Treated unfairly? It's football! He got paid thousands of pounds a week for not doing his job!

Finally, some thoughts. Who will Liverpool have in support of Torres? Kuyt will surely be used, opening up opportunites for the likes of Benayoun. Will El Zhar, Nemeth and Ngog get a chance? Will Babel be second to Torres? How will be cope if Torres becomes unavailable?!

Highlight of the transfer window: Ryan Taylor talks to Sky Sports News about his transfer to Newcastle and describes it as moving to "a beautiful part of the world."

With Liverpool's goal-threat under question and Man Utd's rise to the top, it's more crucial than ever for Liverpool to start winning in convincing fashion.

For the majority of the season, Liverpool's supporters and critics alike have agreed one one thing: the Reds have been playing well, but have much more ability than we've seen so far.

Gerrard, Reina and Carragher have all been putting in their usual displays, whilst the likes of Skrtel and Riera have surprised fans with Man of the Match performances. For me, the outstanding player of the season so far is Xabi Alonso - the same player who was almost ushered out of the door to make way for Gareth Barry. However, with Torres out injured, Keane struggling to find form and Kuyt looking forever more comfortable on the right, we've been left short for a consistent attack.

Now with Torres and Keane both available, it is surely time for Benitez to put together what was touted as potentially the most potent strike-force in the Premiership. Will Benitez give Keane and Torres the chance to link up?

Liverpool ended the year on a high as they crushed Newcastle 5-1, chipping away at Chelsea's superior goal difference and carving out a three-point gap.

Apart from a Coloccini effort early in the first half, Liverpool completely dominated play with the first 20 minutes seeing the home side's goal peppered with shots. Lucas, Gerrard, Hyypia and Kuyt had around six clear-cut chances to score with around half of them being saved by the outstanding Shay Given.

Gerrard tried an edge-of-the-box strike and a one-on-one flick past Given that didn't connect properly, while Lucas saw efforts palmed away from around 4 yards out. Hyppia had a clear chance to head in from a free-kick and had a shot cleared off the line, while Kuyt tested the keeper with a close range blast.

From a Liverpool fan's perspective, it was a great game to watch, but there was a niggling feeling that it would end goaless or even worse.

With just over half an hour gone, the breakthrough came. Liverpool worked the ball down the right with Benayoun and Carragher linking up. The ball was passed to Mascherano who dinked the ball into Benayouns path. Yossi could have delivered a low cross in, but he had the awareness to look up and see an incoming Gerrard steaming into the box. The ball was pulled back and Gerrard smashed it past Given, post and in - the only way to beat the in form Newcastle keeper.

The second arrived within 5 minutes of the first. Benayoun again down the right won a corner. Gerrard went up to take it, and for the second game running actually looked to deliver a good cross into the box. Hyypia, surrounded by 3 Newcastle players, was able to calmly butt the ball into the net.

Ten minutes later, a minute into added time, Newcastle equalised after woeful defending by Liverpool. The ball was delivered by ex-Red Guthrie, and the young Edgar flicked the ball in off his head.

Liverpool were quite rightly disappointed with conceding the goal. Even though we were on top and in the lead, the scoreline should have been 5-0 not 2-1.

The introduction of Shola Ameobi at half time made for anxious moments early on, as his bright play in attack almost led to a spectacular diving header by Michael Owen. However, it was Liverpool who increased their lead with Ryan Babel getting on the scoresheet.

A Liverpool corner fell to Babel inside the six yard area who had a stab at the ball. The danger wasn't cleared, and although there was four Newcastle players packed around the ball, Babel was able to compose himself and have another go, prodding the ball past Given. A bizarre, comical goal, but the relief in Babel's face to make an impact was evident and pleasing for us fans who had seen his recent lacklustre attitude.

Although you wouldn't know it, Newcastle were still playing and when Nicky Butt was replaced by Geremi, they were nearly back in the game. Pepe Reina had Geremi's long-range free kick sorted, but the Spaniard had clearly miscalculated the path of the ball as his reaction told when the ball rattled the top of the crossbar. Another long-ranger saw Reina mishandle the ball which fell for Michael Owen, but Carra was there to block his follow-up effort.

Liverpool's fourth was exquisite. Lucas picked up the ball in midfield and slid a perfectly-weighted ball into Gerrard. Gerrard stormed into the box and gently lifted the ball past Given.

The emphatic win was sealed by Xabi Alonso's penalty kick, won by fellow substitute Ngog. Goalscorer Edgar clipped Ngog and with the absence of Gerrard, Alonso was the one to egde it past Given.

So rarely do you see a scoreline of 5-1, but suggest that the Man of the Match be the losing team's goalkeeper. Shay Given was world class and had it not been for him, the scoreline could have been around 8 or 9-1.

As for Liverpool, the strength in depth that was such an issue at the start of the season is gradually being dealt with. The absence of Keane, Riera and Alonso had many eyes rolling and heads shaking in disbelief. The performances of Lucas and Benayoun however, did more than silence the criticisms. Lucas was involved in everything: battling for posession, unlucky to get two goals and delivered a sublime pass for Gerrard's second.

Benayoun put in yet another impressive performance and is sure to give Rafa a selection headache. His link-up with Gerrard is outstanding and his fast pace, alertness and clever passing is an asset to the team.

Babel battled down the left, but despite his goal contribution, is still not at his best. However, his goal celebration and effort gave encouragement that maybe he is ready to prove to Rafa he is good enough for a first team place.

Robbie Keane scored twice at Anfield to get the Reds back on track with their home form and to regain the top spot that Chelsea had been keeping warm for us through an earlier win.

Bolton had started the match well, with a drive forward that had exposed the Liverpool back line but ended in a tame shot into Reina's hands.

Liverpool started to create chances, Xabi Alonso particularly impressing, as did Yossi Benayoun.

The first goal came from a corner. Gerrard delivered the ball towards the near post, where Riera snuck in to poke the ball past Jaaskelainen. It had been noticed by many fans that Liverpool were having no luck with their corners, so it was particularly satisfying to see what seemed to be a training ground plan culminate in a goal.

Liverpool's second saw link-up between Gerrard and Keane in a move orchestrated by Keane himself. The Irishman steamed towards the box, pointing to where he wanted the ball to be. Gerrard duly obliged, slipping a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Keane, who then belted the ball into the back of the net.

The third was particularly impressive as it showed intelligence and speed from goalkeeper to midfielders to attack. Reina collected the ball and rolled it quickly through the middle of the park to Alonso. After a short run, he passed the ball out wide to Benayoun who, like Gerrard, was instructed by Keane as to where to place the ball and Yossi delivered to perfection. Keane slotted the ball home to make it 3-0.

Keane took both goals well and seemed to do more than just smash the ball into the net. Alonso showed why he's still crucial to Liverpool Football Club and Benayoun gave a reminder of why he should still be considered as an option.

On the negative side of things, Babel should take a look at Benayoun's efforts on the field. Yossi is clearly unhappy with his current situation, but knows what he needs to do to change it. Babel is also unhappy, but his recent lack of enthusiasm and concentration shows in his game and that is why he's still on the bench with the likes of El Zhar and N'Gog getting a game ahead of him.

Back to positives, with Riera, Alonso and Gerrard playing well in the middle, can this give good service to Keane and the returning Torres? Any chance we'll see it against Newcastle?

Liverpool FC are number one at Christmas!

It somewhat seems a miracle as Liverpool have stumbled along with frustrating draws, but Chelsea have failed to capitalise and remain one point behind the Reds.

We've had an undeserved defeat at Spurs (who later knocked us out of the Carling Cup), disappointing draws with West Ham and Hull and a recent draw against 10-man Arsenal.

However, despite this, a run of stale results for Chelsea has meant that the Reds remain top for Christmas Day 2008 and they also topped their Champions League group ahead of Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool now need to avoid a loss against Bolton to remain undefeated at home in 2008 and to keep their grip at the top of the league. They also need to concentrate in the Champions League as they are soon to face Real Madrid at the start of the knockout stage.

Robbie Keane scored his two first Premier League goals for Liverpool as the Reds finally matched their dominance with a worthy scoreline.

West Brom started the game with intent - keeping posession and making things difficult for the home side. However, it wasn't long before Liverpool broke down the Baggies' resistance and started to play like the home side.

Keane had shown glimpses of his old self, linking well with Aurelio on the left and delivering a crowd-pleasing back-heel which led to a dangerous cross. He also had a snap-shot at goal which temporarily took the fans' attention from a certain Spanish striker sat on the subs bench.

The breakthrough came after a sublime through ball by Gerrard, which Keane ran onto and clipped over the advancing Scott Carson.

Nine minutes later, Keane grabbed a second. A West Brom corner was dealt with and constructively cleared, with Aurelio sliding the ball down the left side towards the visitors penalty area. Carson being the nearest to deal with it sprinted out, allowing Keane to round him and slot the ball home. 2-0.

The second half was about posession, chances and also preventing West Brom from taking a goal. West Brom threatened, but Reina had few saves and gladly watched shots pass the goal by.

Torres was the man to replace Keane - an unusual decision as Keane had been playing well and it was clear that Gerrard was trying his best to assist Keane with his hat-trick.

Babel also came on and both the new introductions showed skill and pace. Babel incidentally replaced Riera who, for the second or third game in a row, had a quiet, less impressive display to his opening games.

The final goal came from a Spaniard - not the one that everyone expected, but certainly the class of goal that fans would hope for. Arbeloa picked the ball up from just outside the area and struck a curling shot out of Carson's reach. 3-0.

Atletico Madrid were left livid on Tuesday night, as Liverpool equalised with a 94th MINUTE penalty.

Before the controversy, the game had been characteristic of Liverpool's recent form. Plenty of chances had been wasted, while Atletico's powerful counter attack resulted in a few shots attempted - most of which were on target; one had given them the lead.

The resilient Reds threatened a comeback, throwing new players onto the field and trying the thread the ball through Madrid's congested back-line.

One of those players was the young French striker N'Gog. He missed a golden opportunity to make an impression, getting the ball stuck under his legs while running through on goal. He made up for it later though, with a little Cruyff-style touch to keep the ball in play and beat the defenders.

Into the last minute of extra-time, the ball was lofted into the area. Gerrard dove at the ball, as did the defender who seemed to push into the Liverpool captain, sending him to the floor. The ref looked at the linesman and pointed to the spot.

On review of the footage, it was clear that there was minimal contact involved and Gerrard had gone down easily. Gerrard said later that had it been anywhere else on the pitch, it would have been given as a free-kick. Probably true, but still people would have said afterwards that it shouldn't have been given. The referee has since admitted he was wrong to award the penalty and that he found Anfield 'dizzying'.

As watching fans struggled to defend the decision, Gerrard slotted the ball home to pick up the late draw, rescue a point and to stop Atletico's early progression to the knockout stages of the cup.

Despite dominating the game at White Hart Lane, Liverpool suffered their first loss of the season to relegation-battlers Tottenham Hotspur.

It was the media's dream before kickoff - could Harry Redknapps rejuvenated side get a result against the current league leaders after their heroics against Arsenal? Well yep, they did - but it was nothing to do with "Harry's magic" - Liverpool undid themselves.

It's difficult to criticise Liverpool in this game. Three minutes in, Dirk Kuyt linked well with Robbie Keane to smash the ball into the roof of the net. After this, the Reds never looked uncomfortable. Spurs were outplayed - at one point it turned into a attack-fest as the home side booted balls clear for our defence to collect under no pressure.

The match went on and it was evident that Liverpool needed to get a second. The crossbar was struck, shots were dragged wide. Things were getting tense.

Then, as Jon Champion reminded us that Liverpool hadn't conceded from a header in the box for the second time, the ball was launched in from a corner and Jamie Carraghers clearance attempt found the back of his own net. His third Tottenham goal in a Liverpool shirt.

Liverpool threatened, but it just wasn't to be. Down at the other end, a shot saved by Reina was crossed back in from the byline and Pavyluchenko flicked it in with the slightest of touches. The home side were ecstatic, the Liverpool fans were in disbelief.

It's always frustrating to outplay a team and concede defeat. However, we've had our fair share of luck recently and hopefully this will be a wake-up call for Liverpool to be more clinical with their finishing.

Next up - Atletico Madrid. Will Torres make an appearance?

Against Atletico Madrid we saw the Liverpool of old - sitting back on a 1-0 lead and trying to absorb pressure for around a third of the game. This time against Pompey, we see another of Liverpool's traits that may threaten our league title chances. We huffed, we puffed, but we couldn't knock Pompey down.

Tony Adams took charge of Portsmouth and was out to prove that the south coast club still retained potential despite the departure of Harry Redknapp. Peter Crouch also wanted to show Rafa what he was missing out on - especially now as Benitez has no experienced strikers at his disposal...

...Which brings me nicely onto my next point. While a crest-fallen Chelsea knocked three past a no-fear Hull side, and Utd were toying around with West Ham, Liverpool remained 0-0 at Anfield. Following the game on Sky Sports, Charlie Nicholas informed us that Liverpool were making all the chances and having most of the ball. At the end of the match, he'd lost hope and claimed that Liverpool didn't deserve to be top of the league - didn't deserve the win.

Just to take note here, if Chelsea or United had played quite well but were unable to score - yet still managed to grind out a win and the three points, it would be a sign of champions.

Anyway, I decided to watch Match of the Day and Liverpool played better than was made out - considering as well that our only striker was the right midfielder Dirk Kuyt (who incidentally reminded us all why we all prefer him on the right) and we played Babel, Lucas and Pennant - three non-regular squad members.
Pennant was his usual self and continues to be underrated, overslated and overlooked. Lucas also played well, something that would have been emphasised had he scored instead of skying his header inside the box.

Once all the shots had been ballooned over and threats had been extinguished by Portsmouth's strong back five (James included), Papa Boupa Diop dived at the ball with his hands towards a tame cross. Penalty! Gerrard stepped up to convert, but James was very nearly able to palm the chance away.

Next up is Tottenham. The club with the new, highly respected boss. The club with the player who recently scored the "greatest goal of all time." The club who just finished on a high after drawing with their arch rivals Arsenal, away, 4-4. /Gulp.

Stamford Bridge, a one-nil scoreline - the only goal by a deflected shot from a midfielder. How many times has that been witnessed over the past 4 years? However, this time it ain't Frank grabbing the headlines. It's Xabi Alonso.

While Chelsea enjoyed most posession in the match, it was Liverpool who were making most of the chances. Both teams displayed periods of impressive build-up play, but it was in the first 15 minutes when Liverpool took the lead.

After play down the right, the Reds were able to get in a cross which found it's way to Xabi Alonso just outside the box. Alonso struck the ball goalbound, but it was only Petr Cech's stuttering footwork that indicated problems afoot as the net bulged at the back and the travelling fans erupted into cheers.

The fight was on but Chelsea were unable to fashion more than a couple of meaningful chances throughout the match. Deco came close with a shot wide and late in the second half, Ashley Cole skied a close-range effort from around 7 yards out. That isn't to say Liverpool gave up though. Alonso took a free kick that jarred at the base of the post with Cech motionless, Gerrard forced a fingertip save from a long-range lob and Kuyt and Babel had shots that went just wide of the post.

A deserved and crucial win that the knighted pr-ck Alex Ferguson didn't see coming. Three points clear at the top - can we stay there after Portsmouth?

Wednesday's game against Atletico ended in a 1-1 draw.

With one eye on Sunday's clash with Chelsea, The Reds (or The Greens) went to Atletico de Madrid in search of another win that would ease the pressure in Europe and allow them to concentrate on domestic matters.

Liverpool once again started off as the better team, but this time they were able to make it count. Gerrards through ball down the centre of the park found Robbie Keane, who dug it out from under his feet to poke it past the keeper just 15 minutes in.

Gerrard linked well with Keane and the Irishman should have grabbed a second, but instead he opted to deal with the captain's cross with a flick between his legs that failed to make contact.

Our momentum was stopped after a disappointing dive by Riera in the box that led to a yellow card. After this, it seemed that the referee would give a free kick to Atletico for any contact made. Eventually, the referee was neutralised once more after Maniche tried his own penalty dive, also earning a yellow card.

After the break, Liverpool regained composure and created chances. Kuyt, Babel and Lucas were introduced, with Keane, Gerrard and Alonso making way. Kuyt maintained his usual focus on the game, creating chances. Once it was his turn to take a chance, however, he failed to do so. After turning the defender on the edge of the box, he slipped and the chance was gone.

Liverpool completely switched off and decided to run down the clock for the remainder of the game. A good idea with the visit to Chelsea in mind...except this was THIRTY MINUTES from time. Possession was gifted to Madrid and whenever he went on the counter attack, it was almost like we were afraid to have a go and the energy fizzled out. We gave away soft free kicks and kept being caught offside. In fact, this game should be remembered for off-sides.

Atletico had a chance denied and a goal disallowed through incorrect offside rulings. Theirs was sandwiched between chances of our own - a disallowed Benayoun goal and an opportunity taken from Babel.

It wasn't until the 83rd minute - almost 70 minutes after Liverpool's opener - before Atletico scored their expected equaliser. A lapse in concentration allowed Forlan to square the ball across to Simao, who was waiting almost alone to slot the ball past Reina.

It was too late, even for Rafa's Comeback Kings. There were lessons to be learned for The Reds though: don't waste chances, be patient...and don't lie back for the final third on a 1-0 lead!

Next up, The Chavs!

The results may be coming through, but Liverpool are winning ugly.

Both the early and late kick-offs saw Chelsea and United win - with NINE goals scored between them and NONE conceded. We all may have picked up three points, but Liverpool still sit in second, behind Chelsea who have a NINE goal advantage.

A lot of people may say it's all about the points - as long as we got all three today, that's all that matters; it could have been worse. And what's with the moaning anyway - we're second in the league, while United lie in 4th and Arsenal a picking up the pieces of a disappointing start.

The problem is, apart from our winning ways being less-than-impressive, we seem to be relying on the motivation generated from being one or two goals behind. With the bigger teams, we can't afford to do this; we need to get a rhythm going, a confidence and flair about our play, so that we can win convincingly.

Today at Anfield, it should have been more controlled. No disrespect to Wigan, but Liverpool at Anfield should have been a cause for concern for Steve Bruce's men. However, it was Liverpool on the back foot for around 70 minutes of the match.

Wigan opened the scoring just over midway through the first half after a comical lack of communication in defence. Reina had posession with no pressure and passed the ball short to Agger. Amr Zaki noticed this and charged towards the returning Dane. Unfortunately, Agger had no idea and as he turned with the ball, he was faced with Zaki's challenge, tried to smartly dribble it away but was caught in posession. Zaki was one-on-one with Reina and slotted it into the bottom right corner.

As Sky Sports' pundits repeatedly pointed out, Wigan didn't just sit back on their lead. De Ridder, Palacios, Valencia and Zaki continued to cause problems. Eight minutes after Wigan's opener though, it was Liverpool's turn to hit the net.

With his mistake fresh in everyone's mind, Agger made a surging run from midway into his own half. After playing a quick one-two with Riera down the left, a feigned cross allowed Agger to ease past a Wigan defender and cut the ball back inside the box to Kuyt, who struck a low, hard shot underneath Kirkland. 1-1.

Shortly after this, Liverpool started to take charge - to 'turn the screw' as the commentator put it. A few more shots, including a sweetly-struck shot by Kuyt that blasted the crossbar and a glaring miss by Riera, gave signs that the Reds were coming into form. However, it was Wigan who struck the hammer blow to Liverpool's resurgence.

Scrappy defending down Liverpool's left side allowed a ricocheted ball to bounce kindly for Wigan and a deep cross into the box allowed Amr Zaki to perform a spectacular bicycle kick past the left-hand side of Reina's dive. 1-2, half-time and Wigan the more dominant.

Second half was too similar to the first. Wigan weren't afraid to get a third and Liverpool just couldn't seem to keep it together. Poor passes, little time on the ball and long range attempts were proving damaging to Liverpool's momentum. However, Liverpool weren't as passive as they were in the first half and Pennant, Kuyt, Riera and Agger were the stand-out battlers trying their luck.

A second moment of comedy in the match occured with a Liverpool free-kick not far outside the box. Gerrard had it placed, with Xabi ready to touch it to the side. Everything in place - except the Wigan wall. Despite efforts by the referee and Arbeloa, it took several minutes for the wall to be properly positioned, 10 yards away. Xabi touched the ball to Gerrard, but there was no movement apart from the Wigan defenders rushing out. It seemed fair to me, but obviously the referee and maybe Alonso and Gerrard felt the wall had moved before the ball was touched - retaken, and Gerrard missed by millimetres.

With around 15 minutes to go, Wigan's Valencia dived in for a strong, high tackle on Alonso that deserved a yellow card. Unfortunately for Valencia, it was his second of the match and he became the third player in the league to be sent off for a tackle on Alonso, in as many games.

The play continued with Liverpool making their one-player advantage count. It was time to bring on some fresh legs - 4 in fact, as El Zhar and Benayoun were introduced to the game. Within 2 minutes, El Zhar slipped the ball back towards the edge of the area and with a Gerrard dummy, Riera accepted and struck the ball into the bottom right corner! 2-2 and thoughts about the previous 4 comebacks dawned on the fans.

Within 5 minutes of the equaliser, Liverpool grabbed the winner. Pennants cross found Kuyt in the area, who tried to emulate Zaki's earlier wonderstrike but instead fired the ball into the ground. The ball hit the back of the net and Anfield erupted. 3-2 the final score - but on paper it will once again be a match made difficult by Liverpool, then easier by a red card.

The defeat of Man Utd, Marseille and Crewe all by 2-1 surrounded a disappointing 0-0 draw with Stoke at Anfield. However, The Reds showed new traits this season - determination and persistence. They recovered in the league to beat Everton 2-0 and beat PSV 3-1 after going a goal down. Now in the latest match, Liverpool went in 2-0 down at half time and ended the match as 3-2 winners at Manchester City.

Liverpool dominated at the start of the match as they've done in the majority of their games so far this season. However, it was a defensive spill that allowed City to grab the opener as Arbeloa's challenged fell to Stephen Ireland who smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

The visitors tried to find an equaliser, but their too-comfortable style of passing repeatedly gifted posession back to City.

At some stages, it felt that City were looking for the counter-attack and it proved to work. A mistimed tackle by Aurelio followed by a push from Riera sent SWP flying, allowing Javier Garrido to place the ball for a free kick. Twenty-five yards out, Garrido curled the ball past Reina's left-handed reach: 2-0.

It was a frustrating game to watch - players were getting into good positions but were failing to deliver. Poor crosses, misplaced passes and hopeful diving stopped momentum and heads were down as the half-time whistle blew.

Second half we came out looking to fight back. Despite dominating the game, we still couldn't break through and City began to stop the momentum. Mascherano tried an ambitious 25 yard strike of his own and Kuyt went down for a penalty, but still nothing.

Ten minutes into the half, the breakthrough came. Arbeloa's cross found Torres who turned the ball in past Joe Hart, scoring Liverpools 1000th goal in the league.

Pablo Zabaleta was sent off after lunging into a tackle with Alonso. Xabi was unhurt, but the player caught him at the bottom of the shin and had Alonso been stood more firmly into the ground, it could have been a different story.

In the next 5 minutes, Dossena and Keane were brought on for Aurelio and Mascherano and Fernando Torres sent the visiting crowd into song as he equalised with a header...from a corner!

Benayoun was brought on for Riera and Liverpool pressed for the winner. Five minutes later though, the teams were evened out as Skrtel picked up an injury and Benitez had used all his subs.

A long ball was sent over and allowed to bounce, giving the lone City forward the chance to challenge for the ball. Carra and Skrtel were covering, but Carra seemed to think Skrtel had it covered. Skrtel made a last ditch stretch for the ball, knocking it away from danger but landing awkwardly on his standing leg. Look out for knee ligament damage on that one.

Earlier in the half, Robinho had missed a sitter after failing to score from 3 yards out. Luckily for him, he wasn't the only high-profile player to miss from yards out. A deep cross into the City area landed perfectly for Fernando Torres, who was unable to complete his hat-trick after spooning high and wide past the far post.

Liverpool weren't left to rue this missed chance though. Six minutes had been added to the end of the match, accounting mainly for Skrtels injury. Just when it seemed that Liverpool would have to settle for the point, a Torres shot found it's way to Kuyt who slotted in for his first goal since last November.

There is no better headline. For years we have seen Liverpool fall to their bitter rivals. In more recent years, Liverpool have outplayed Utd but have switched off in the dying moments of the game allowing them to steal a late winner. John O'Shea has Liverpool to thank for keeping him in a job.

At 12.49pm things didn't feel any different. An early Carlos Tevez goal saw Manyoo take the lead, with Berbatov assisting and looking very comfortable in his new team's kit. Liverpool showed no attacking threat and Rio Ferdinand was set to get another shedload of undeserved credit.

However, the momentum of the match began to turn from Utd's favour and gradually Liverpool took control of posession. This itself was good to see as there was no Gerrard and no Torres...but we were still keeping the ball and looking to threaten rather than shirking back and defending.

Liverpool seemed comfortable in the absence of their two main stars, but Man Utd were decidedly lacklustre without their number 7. Their recent form without Ronaldo leaves no room for future mockings, claiming that Liverpool are a one (or two) man team.

On many occasions during this time of domination (also known as the final 70 minutes of the game), there was frustrating periods of long-balls which should have left when Crouch joined Portsmouth. Yet the reds were still able to create moments of passing quality, with Reira particularly impressing on the left.

Kuyt was his usual self; hard-working, high stamina, high spirit, but poor control and throughout the match, Kuyt spurred several chances - at least two of which were clear cut.

The break came when Alonso, probably himself frustrated with Liverpool's patient build-up play without creating any real attacking danger, randomly blasted the ball towards the Utd goal. The shot was dampened by Evra and the deflection landed in the Utd area, where van der Sar decided to perform a low punching dive. This was a surprise decision...mostly to Wes Brown who's shins got in the way of Edwin's plans and ricocheted into the goal. Albert Reira, who didn't get much credit for possibly forcing this error, tried in vain to catch up with the ball to sneak in an equaliser on his debut.

Had Liverpool not already started to dominate the game before the goal, this could have been regarded as the turning point. But that's not the case, so f*** you Garth Crooks. This merely rewarded Liverpool with their efforts. Sure it was a stroke of luck that brought about the goal, but Utd players and fans should be the last ones to discredit a performance on fortunate circumstances.

Liverpool started the second half as they had finished the first - in charge. Several chances were lost - Benayoun poorly controlled a through-ball from Keane, Keane himself completely missed two clear chances in the box and Kuyt was denied with a goal line clearance.

Man Utd reminded the Anfield faithful that one goal wasn't enough to keep them down, as they regained a very brief period of posession and Giggs had a great volley turned over by Reina. This seemed to work as Liverpool took the lead within minutes of this scare. Babel, who had replaced Reira on the left put the reds 2-1 up after persistent work by Mascherano and Kuyt.

Over on the right, Mascherano went full steam with one of his surprising dribbling runs. After a bit of skill, it looked like Mascherano had overrun it, but he managed to evade Giggs and pass back towards the supporting Kuyt. Kuyt then slid the ball across to Babel who belted the ball into Utd's goal.
Liverpool didn't stay back and defend though. There were more chances for the reds and their hassling of the Utd players robbed them of posession and sapped their confidence.

A poor pass to Vidic while in his own half allowed Keane to intercept. Keane surged towards van der Sars goal but was stopped by a blatant Vidic foul. Vidic earned a yellow, which could have easily been red had Ferdinand not been very slightly in contention to make a tackle himself.

Still Liverpool pressed forward. After a scrambled clearance by the Utd defence, the ball was lifted into the air and as Alonso went in for the header, Vidic came steaming into him with seemingly no intention to win the ball. A second yellow for Vidic and Utd were down to 10 men...fortunately for them, it was the 90th minute.

Liverpool bolstered their defence with the addition of Sami Hyypia, but he wasn't called into action. Liverpool played out the four minutes added time with possesion and also showed signs of adding to their tally.

The final whistle brought relief to both clubs for contrasting reasons. We'd beaten United. Rafa had beaten Utd. We were top of the league (briefly) and we'd finally made way to sorting out this psychological block against Utd.

Liverpool fans were understandably pleased. Utd fans were disappointed, but grudgingly admitted what they should have over recent seasons - they were outplayed. Man Utds assistant Phelan said that after around 8 minutes, Liverpool took over. What did Ferguson say? 'Aye they were alreight, but I dunnae noo whay Veddetch was saint awf as Carragher was meekin thawz kind awv challen-jezz all match.' What a d***.

Next up, Stoke.

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