Barclays Premier League Man Utd 1-4 Liverpool Main Highlights Video, Goal Video, Match Report
Played: Saturday March 14, 2009 at Old Trafford
Man Utd vs Liverpool Match Report
Manchester United's collective defensive shambles threw Liverpool an important lifeline in the race for the Premier League title at Old Trafford.
United's defence has been the mainstay of their push for honours on five fronts this season, but they made the kind of errors which would of ensured a schoolboy side detention for at least a month.
This was the Red Devils' worst defeat at home since their first ever Premier League game at Old Trafford - a 3-0 defeat by Everton back in August 1992.
Despite the reverse, United are still four points clear of their Merseyside rivals with a game in hand.
But too many repeat performances will have both Liverpool and Chelsea believing the title is theirs.
United, whose only dropped home points to date this season before this game came in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle on the opening day, took the lead in the 23rd minute.
Ji-Sung Park ran on to Carlos Tevez's decisive pass through the middle of the Liverpool defence.
As the South Korean rounded Jose Manuel Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper brought him down and referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo to blast his right-foot shot into the right corner of the net beyond Reina's despairing dive.
United's lead lasted only five minutes. Nemanja Vidic seemed to have an eternity to clear Martin Skrtel's long ball out of defence.
But the United defender dithered 40 yards from goal and was easily robbed by Fernando Torres.
The Liverpool striker bore down on the United goal and, as Edwin van der Sar came off his line, Torres coolly tucked the ball past the Dutchman and into the bottom corner of the net.
Worse was to come for United a minute before the interval.
Torres' precision pass found Steven Gerrard stealing in on the blind side of Patrice Evra on the right-hand side of the United box.
Evra upended Gerrard and the Liverpool skipper picked himself up to strike the resulting penalty into the bottom right corner of the net past the diving van der Sar.
United pressured Liverpool in the opening half of the second period but the final seeds of their downfall were sewn in the 76th minute.
Gerrard was hauled down by Vidic when he was set to clear the Serbian on the right corner of the United box.
Wiley had no option but to dismiss Vidic and Fabio Aurelio curled a glorious left-foot free kick beyond van de Sar at his near post and into the net.
The final indignity for the champions came a minute into injury time.
Reina's long goalkick found Liverpool substitute Andrea Dossena free on the left corner of the United penalty area and he scored with a sweet left-foot lob over the stranded van de Sar.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick (Giggs 74), Anderson (Scholes 73), Park (Berbatov 74), Rooney, Tevez.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Nani, Evans, Fletcher.
Sent Off: Vidic (76).
Booked: Ferdinand, Van der Sar.
Goals: Ronaldo 23 pen.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Aurelio, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard (El Zhar 90), Riera (Dossena 67), Torres (Babel 81).
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Insua, Ngog, Arbeloa.
Booked: Carragher, Mascherano, Skrtel.
Goals: Torres 28, Gerrard 44 pen, Aurelio 77, Dossena 90.
Att: 75,569
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
Manchester Utd vs Liverpool Main Highlight Video (8:58 min)
Manchester Utd vs Liverpool Goal Highlight Video
MAN UTD 1-1 LIVERPOOL, TORRES, although limping, dispossesses Nemanja Vidic and fires the ball into the bottom corner.
MAN UTD 1-1 LIVERPOOL, TORRES, although limping, dispossesses Nemanja Vidic and fires the ball into the bottom corner.
MAN UTD 1-2 LIVERPOOL, GERRARD converts the penalty, shooting low into the corner past Edwin van der Sar, who got a hand to the ball.
MAN UTD 1-3 LIVERPOOL. Fabio AURELIO's left-foot free-kick flies past a stationary Edwin van der Sar and Liverpool are poised to do the double over their great rivals.
MAN UTD 1-4 LIVERPOOL. Andrea DOSSENA takes advantage of some poor defending and lifts the ball over the stranded Edwin van der Sar.
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