THE Road to Hell’ which had flared out from the Anfield tannoy before the game was transformed into the road to redemption for Rafa Benitez and his Liverpool side.
Seven league defeats in eight games against Manchester United since Benitez took over the reins – the other one was a draw – meant the Spaniard could have been excused for looking forward to this game as eagerly as uncorking a bad bottle of Rioja.
Last night though it was United boss Sir Alex Ferguson whose glass of red would have had that bitter taste. He will also be without influential defender Nemanja Vidic for next week’s visit to Chelsea after his late sending off.
But by then his side were suffering a power cut of major proportions while for Liverpool, performing in front of much-criticised American co-owner George Gillett, it was all Yankee doodle dandy.
The last time he had faced United Javier Mascherano had to be manhandled off the pitch after being sent off, snarling away at the officials.
Yesterday he snapped and snarled – but it was all legal. United’s stars, including £30million Dimitar Berbatov, must have thought a rottweiler had been released.
Benitez’s side though were more than just dogs of war. They clawed their way back following Carlos Tevez’s early goal and eventually displayed a greater appetite for battle to impose their positive identity on the game.
Maybe, just maybe, Senor Benitez has grasped the heartbeat of The Kop who desire the Premier League title above everything else and that includes another Champions League triumph.
Benitez said: “Our position around the top of the league is good but we must still improve. But after this result we know we can beat anyone. To come back from a goal down was important. It showed real character.
“We knew at 1-1 that if we made a mistake United would kill us. They didn’t. This win has to give us tremendous satisfaction.”
Jamie Carragher, who has become sickened with United’s continued Premier League prowess, added: “That has put us top – at least for a few hours – and that’s where a team like Liverpool should be. It gives us a belief and confidence beating the best team in Europe. This was our best performance of the season.”
Earlier it hadn’t taken Berbatov too long to announce himself as a United presence – a delightful invitation for Tevez to puncture any Kop expectation inside three minutes.
Anderson played a ball to Berbatov inside the box and the Bulgarian held Carragher at bay before exposing Liverpool’s marking with an instinctive low cross for Tevez to confidently slam past Pepe Reina.
But just as United appeared to be on cruise control, breaking forward with confidence, Liverpool struck.
A long-range effort from Xabi Alonso ballooned off Patrice Evra inviting Liverpool new boy Albert Riera to chase it. Edwin van der Sar won the race but palmed the ball against Wes Brown and into his own goal.
Liverpool waited for the response. It didn’t materialise and when Steven Gerrard was sent on with 22 minutes to go it was Benitez’s side who looked the more likely winners.
And so it proved. Mascherano wriggled his way to the by-line and the equally hardworking Dirk Kuyt took over finding fellow Dutchman Ryan Babel who did the rest.
The joy around the red half of Merseyside which was compounded when Vidic received a second yellow card after clattering into Alonso. After a friendly exchange with Benitez at the final whistle Ferguson couldn’t help himself laying into the fourth official. That would have been nothing to what his side got later.
Seven league defeats in eight games against Manchester United since Benitez took over the reins – the other one was a draw – meant the Spaniard could have been excused for looking forward to this game as eagerly as uncorking a bad bottle of Rioja.
Last night though it was United boss Sir Alex Ferguson whose glass of red would have had that bitter taste. He will also be without influential defender Nemanja Vidic for next week’s visit to Chelsea after his late sending off.
But by then his side were suffering a power cut of major proportions while for Liverpool, performing in front of much-criticised American co-owner George Gillett, it was all Yankee doodle dandy.
The last time he had faced United Javier Mascherano had to be manhandled off the pitch after being sent off, snarling away at the officials.
Yesterday he snapped and snarled – but it was all legal. United’s stars, including £30million Dimitar Berbatov, must have thought a rottweiler had been released.
Benitez’s side though were more than just dogs of war. They clawed their way back following Carlos Tevez’s early goal and eventually displayed a greater appetite for battle to impose their positive identity on the game.
Maybe, just maybe, Senor Benitez has grasped the heartbeat of The Kop who desire the Premier League title above everything else and that includes another Champions League triumph.
Benitez said: “Our position around the top of the league is good but we must still improve. But after this result we know we can beat anyone. To come back from a goal down was important. It showed real character.
“We knew at 1-1 that if we made a mistake United would kill us. They didn’t. This win has to give us tremendous satisfaction.”
Jamie Carragher, who has become sickened with United’s continued Premier League prowess, added: “That has put us top – at least for a few hours – and that’s where a team like Liverpool should be. It gives us a belief and confidence beating the best team in Europe. This was our best performance of the season.”
Earlier it hadn’t taken Berbatov too long to announce himself as a United presence – a delightful invitation for Tevez to puncture any Kop expectation inside three minutes.
Anderson played a ball to Berbatov inside the box and the Bulgarian held Carragher at bay before exposing Liverpool’s marking with an instinctive low cross for Tevez to confidently slam past Pepe Reina.
But just as United appeared to be on cruise control, breaking forward with confidence, Liverpool struck.
A long-range effort from Xabi Alonso ballooned off Patrice Evra inviting Liverpool new boy Albert Riera to chase it. Edwin van der Sar won the race but palmed the ball against Wes Brown and into his own goal.
Liverpool waited for the response. It didn’t materialise and when Steven Gerrard was sent on with 22 minutes to go it was Benitez’s side who looked the more likely winners.
And so it proved. Mascherano wriggled his way to the by-line and the equally hardworking Dirk Kuyt took over finding fellow Dutchman Ryan Babel who did the rest.
The joy around the red half of Merseyside which was compounded when Vidic received a second yellow card after clattering into Alonso. After a friendly exchange with Benitez at the final whistle Ferguson couldn’t help himself laying into the fourth official. That would have been nothing to what his side got later.
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