Rafa Benitez refused to get carried away with his first League win over Manchester United.
Ryan Babel stepped off the bench to fire the winner with 13 minutes remaining after Liverpool had come from behind having conceded after just three minutes.
But after Wes Brown put through his own goal in the 27th minute there was only one team that looked likely to take all three points.
While captain Jamie Carragher claimed it was a monumental win, Benitez was quick to apply the brakes on any tendency to get carried away.
He said: "It's nice to know we are momentarily top but to stay there we need to keep improving. It was an important win for the team and for the fans to give us confidence for the future.
"Obviously I was disappointed to concede early on because we wanted to dictate the tempo from the start. But we showed immense character to come back and overall we played better than them. But this is just the start.
Hopefully it will be the same when we play Chelsea and Arsenal."
In stark contrast, Sir Alex Ferguson blasted his team for their shocking defending and accused them of looking like a bunch of part-timers.
"We gave away two bad goals and you don't expect that from Manchester United," he said. "Liverpool were by far the better team. When you have bad days it is important to take something out of it but there was nothing positive to take out of that performance. Both goals were absolutely shocking."
Ferguson appeared none too pleased with the officiating of Howard Webb either, adding: "We are not a dirty side but we have had three bookings and a sending-off. But that is the disadvantage when you play away from home.
"Nemanja Vidic certainly led with the elbow but defenders do it all the time. Jamie Carragher leads with his elbow all the time but he never gets a free-kick given against him."
Ferguson immediately set his stall out opting to field three strikers and giving a debut to Dimitar Berbatov. And the Bulgarian marksman could have won a penalty inside two minutes when Martin Skrtel handled his shot on the turn from Brown's cross.
But barely 60 seconds later Berbatov's impressive cutback from the byline set up Carlos Tevez to fire home.
Liverpool recovered well from the early setback, and United keeper Edwin Van der Sar almost gifted them an equaliser. He flapped at a corner and when Dirk Kuyt volleyed the loose ball towards goal, Paul Scholes cleared off the line.
It was a stroke of luck that brought Liverpool level. Xabi Alonso's shot took a wicked deflection off Patrice Evra and when Van der Sar attempted to punch the ball clear it hit Brown's leg and went in.
Robbie Keane was doing his level best to try to capitalise on Liverpool's increasing possession. But he was getting short shrift out of a United defence marshaled by Rio Ferdinand.
Ferguson made a change at the break, bringing on Ryan Giggs for Michael Carrick. But it was Liverpool who nearly stole in front. Keane crossed from the right and when it looked to be reaching the unmarked Kuyt at the far post, Evra stuck out a leg and cleared.
Both sides looked to the bench as they attempted to win the game. Owen Hargreaves and Steven Gerrard came on in quick succession.
And a mistake by Gerrard, losing possession 25 yards out, could have proved costly. Giggs let fly with a sublime volley that Pepe Reina acrobatically tipped over his bar.
Yet it was Liverpool who looked more likely to score as they chased every ball.
And they were eventually rewarded when Javier Mascherano stole the ball from Giggs as he tried to shepherd it out of play. The Argentine passed to Kuyt and he found an unmarked Babel, whose shot bounced into the United goal to send the home crowd into raptures.
Nemanja Vidic's dismissal for a second bookable offence on 90 minutes compounded United's misery.
Ryan Babel stepped off the bench to fire the winner with 13 minutes remaining after Liverpool had come from behind having conceded after just three minutes.
But after Wes Brown put through his own goal in the 27th minute there was only one team that looked likely to take all three points.
While captain Jamie Carragher claimed it was a monumental win, Benitez was quick to apply the brakes on any tendency to get carried away.
He said: "It's nice to know we are momentarily top but to stay there we need to keep improving. It was an important win for the team and for the fans to give us confidence for the future.
"Obviously I was disappointed to concede early on because we wanted to dictate the tempo from the start. But we showed immense character to come back and overall we played better than them. But this is just the start.
Hopefully it will be the same when we play Chelsea and Arsenal."
In stark contrast, Sir Alex Ferguson blasted his team for their shocking defending and accused them of looking like a bunch of part-timers.
"We gave away two bad goals and you don't expect that from Manchester United," he said. "Liverpool were by far the better team. When you have bad days it is important to take something out of it but there was nothing positive to take out of that performance. Both goals were absolutely shocking."
Ferguson appeared none too pleased with the officiating of Howard Webb either, adding: "We are not a dirty side but we have had three bookings and a sending-off. But that is the disadvantage when you play away from home.
"Nemanja Vidic certainly led with the elbow but defenders do it all the time. Jamie Carragher leads with his elbow all the time but he never gets a free-kick given against him."
Ferguson immediately set his stall out opting to field three strikers and giving a debut to Dimitar Berbatov. And the Bulgarian marksman could have won a penalty inside two minutes when Martin Skrtel handled his shot on the turn from Brown's cross.
But barely 60 seconds later Berbatov's impressive cutback from the byline set up Carlos Tevez to fire home.
Liverpool recovered well from the early setback, and United keeper Edwin Van der Sar almost gifted them an equaliser. He flapped at a corner and when Dirk Kuyt volleyed the loose ball towards goal, Paul Scholes cleared off the line.
It was a stroke of luck that brought Liverpool level. Xabi Alonso's shot took a wicked deflection off Patrice Evra and when Van der Sar attempted to punch the ball clear it hit Brown's leg and went in.
Robbie Keane was doing his level best to try to capitalise on Liverpool's increasing possession. But he was getting short shrift out of a United defence marshaled by Rio Ferdinand.
Ferguson made a change at the break, bringing on Ryan Giggs for Michael Carrick. But it was Liverpool who nearly stole in front. Keane crossed from the right and when it looked to be reaching the unmarked Kuyt at the far post, Evra stuck out a leg and cleared.
Both sides looked to the bench as they attempted to win the game. Owen Hargreaves and Steven Gerrard came on in quick succession.
And a mistake by Gerrard, losing possession 25 yards out, could have proved costly. Giggs let fly with a sublime volley that Pepe Reina acrobatically tipped over his bar.
Yet it was Liverpool who looked more likely to score as they chased every ball.
And they were eventually rewarded when Javier Mascherano stole the ball from Giggs as he tried to shepherd it out of play. The Argentine passed to Kuyt and he found an unmarked Babel, whose shot bounced into the United goal to send the home crowd into raptures.
Nemanja Vidic's dismissal for a second bookable offence on 90 minutes compounded United's misery.
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