Liverpool's magnificent victory at Old Trafford may not have totally turned the tide of the Premier League title race - but it has achieved a major objective of at least making Manchester United think.
It was a result and, just as significantly, a performance that will give everybody at Liverpool total belief in what manager Rafael Benitez is doing and huge optimism that the club is genuinely moving forward.
The title is still Manchester United's to lose and they remain overwhelming favourites. We must not forget how well they have played this season before Saturday, so to suggest one defeat is suddenly going to send them off the rails is nonsense.
From the point of view of United and manager Sir Alex Ferguson, there will be a mixture of emotions contained within what will be an uneasy week of inactivity for the side chasing an historic quintuple.
They are lucky that they have some recovery time because they have looked a little weary in their last couple of games but they are also unlucky in that after a defeat on such a scale, you want to get out there as quickly as possible to try to put it right.
If United beat Fulham in their next game everything goes away but if they do not - and I am only speaking from experience - then we all know things can change quickly in big-time football. United, however, are still right there in pole position, with the smart money going on them to retain their crown.
As I said, Liverpool's win hardly balances the title on a knife-edge but if you are chasing the leaders all you can do is keep putting pressure on them and they did that in the most emphatic fashion imaginable on Saturday.
It was a triumph for Benitez - as was the 4-0 victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League - and let me tell you no-one will want to draw Liverpool in that competition. These games also illustrated that Liverpool are at their best, their most formidable, when they impose themselves on opposition rather than wait to see what they do first.
And in Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, Liverpool had two truly world-class performers delivering at the highest level. Liverpool have really missed them in their injury absences this season.
The truly outstanding performers in any team are missed when they can score a crucial goal or play a killer pass that changes a game but when those two players also have the lightning pace that Torres and Gerrard provide, then that increases the problems.
When you look at the great players English football has produced, I think many people are now realising just how good Gerrard is and Saturday was simply another demonstration of that fact.
Gerrard has been an unbelievable player for Liverpool for five or six years now, almost a one-man team at times. It is not only his ability and consistency, it is his priceless knack of winning and saving matches and the sheer energy he puts into every game.
Torres is also a fantastic footballer but when you are starting with any player at Liverpool there is only one - and that is Gerrard every time.
What we saw from Torres at Old Trafford was a superb example of the striker's art and how even the world's best defenders can be unsettled by the speed of thought and limb that he can produce. In this instance, Nemanja Vidic was the unfortunate man to suffer.
Just like my old colleague Ian Rush used to do, Torres forces defenders into mistakes and you are talking about a world-class player here in Vidic.
Liverpool's equaliser was a case in point. Vidic normally just goes and eats everything up, gets every ball but the presence of Torres made him think for a split second about how he would deal with a speculative long clearance. It was a fatal hesitation and Torres pounced to score a crucial goal.
Vidic started to think about what he was doing instead of just doing it - and as a former defender I sympathise with him because I know exactly how he feels.
You start watching the man instead of the ball, wondering where he is and what he is going to do. It affects your decision-making and this was what Torres and Liverpool exploited so ruthlessly.
Rush used to do it to me in training all the time. I would be looking at him rather than the ball - it has a psychological as well as footballing affect on your game because suddenly the seeds of doubt have been planted in your mind.
Chelsea also took advantage of Liverpool beating United, with their win against Manchester City on Sunday putting them back into second place and, just like Liverpool, they will still harbour hopes of winning the title.
Coach Guus Hiddink has got them back doing what they do best. They are very methodical, very well-disciplined and well-marshalled. They have got Ricardo Carvalho back in central defence and the return of Michael Essien is huge for them.
The race for fourth place has now switched back in Arsenal's favour after they beat Blackburn and Aston Villa lost at home to Tottenham.
One of the main talking points of Villa's defeat was the fact that striker Gabriel Agbonlahor was booed by some of his own fans when he was substituted in the second half. Martin O'Neill has publicly declared his unhappiness about the incident and I have to say I sympathise totally with both manager and player.
It is not just the fact Agbonlahor got stick that is disappointing, it is the irony that he has played such a major part in getting them where they are in the Premier League.
He has looked a little jaded recently but he worked tirelessly in the early months of the season to try to keep Villa's bid for a Champions League place on track.
I think it is very harsh but is a symptom of the fact that when you give any football fans a taste of success they want more. It becomes like a drug to them and they become frustrated when things do not go as they wish.
O'Neill will be lifting Agbonlahor and his players after a disappointing spell. He has done a magnificent job at Villa Park and if there is a manager who can rally that team, it is Martin.
I would have to say, though, that I fancy Arsenal to clinch that fourth Champions League place now because they are starting to play well and get big players back.
It was a result and, just as significantly, a performance that will give everybody at Liverpool total belief in what manager Rafael Benitez is doing and huge optimism that the club is genuinely moving forward.
The title is still Manchester United's to lose and they remain overwhelming favourites. We must not forget how well they have played this season before Saturday, so to suggest one defeat is suddenly going to send them off the rails is nonsense.
From the point of view of United and manager Sir Alex Ferguson, there will be a mixture of emotions contained within what will be an uneasy week of inactivity for the side chasing an historic quintuple.
They are lucky that they have some recovery time because they have looked a little weary in their last couple of games but they are also unlucky in that after a defeat on such a scale, you want to get out there as quickly as possible to try to put it right.
If United beat Fulham in their next game everything goes away but if they do not - and I am only speaking from experience - then we all know things can change quickly in big-time football. United, however, are still right there in pole position, with the smart money going on them to retain their crown.
As I said, Liverpool's win hardly balances the title on a knife-edge but if you are chasing the leaders all you can do is keep putting pressure on them and they did that in the most emphatic fashion imaginable on Saturday.
It was a triumph for Benitez - as was the 4-0 victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League - and let me tell you no-one will want to draw Liverpool in that competition. These games also illustrated that Liverpool are at their best, their most formidable, when they impose themselves on opposition rather than wait to see what they do first.
And in Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, Liverpool had two truly world-class performers delivering at the highest level. Liverpool have really missed them in their injury absences this season.
The truly outstanding performers in any team are missed when they can score a crucial goal or play a killer pass that changes a game but when those two players also have the lightning pace that Torres and Gerrard provide, then that increases the problems.
When you look at the great players English football has produced, I think many people are now realising just how good Gerrard is and Saturday was simply another demonstration of that fact.
Gerrard has been an unbelievable player for Liverpool for five or six years now, almost a one-man team at times. It is not only his ability and consistency, it is his priceless knack of winning and saving matches and the sheer energy he puts into every game.
Torres is also a fantastic footballer but when you are starting with any player at Liverpool there is only one - and that is Gerrard every time.
What we saw from Torres at Old Trafford was a superb example of the striker's art and how even the world's best defenders can be unsettled by the speed of thought and limb that he can produce. In this instance, Nemanja Vidic was the unfortunate man to suffer.
Just like my old colleague Ian Rush used to do, Torres forces defenders into mistakes and you are talking about a world-class player here in Vidic.
Liverpool's equaliser was a case in point. Vidic normally just goes and eats everything up, gets every ball but the presence of Torres made him think for a split second about how he would deal with a speculative long clearance. It was a fatal hesitation and Torres pounced to score a crucial goal.
Vidic started to think about what he was doing instead of just doing it - and as a former defender I sympathise with him because I know exactly how he feels.
You start watching the man instead of the ball, wondering where he is and what he is going to do. It affects your decision-making and this was what Torres and Liverpool exploited so ruthlessly.
Rush used to do it to me in training all the time. I would be looking at him rather than the ball - it has a psychological as well as footballing affect on your game because suddenly the seeds of doubt have been planted in your mind.
Chelsea also took advantage of Liverpool beating United, with their win against Manchester City on Sunday putting them back into second place and, just like Liverpool, they will still harbour hopes of winning the title.
Coach Guus Hiddink has got them back doing what they do best. They are very methodical, very well-disciplined and well-marshalled. They have got Ricardo Carvalho back in central defence and the return of Michael Essien is huge for them.
The race for fourth place has now switched back in Arsenal's favour after they beat Blackburn and Aston Villa lost at home to Tottenham.
One of the main talking points of Villa's defeat was the fact that striker Gabriel Agbonlahor was booed by some of his own fans when he was substituted in the second half. Martin O'Neill has publicly declared his unhappiness about the incident and I have to say I sympathise totally with both manager and player.
It is not just the fact Agbonlahor got stick that is disappointing, it is the irony that he has played such a major part in getting them where they are in the Premier League.
He has looked a little jaded recently but he worked tirelessly in the early months of the season to try to keep Villa's bid for a Champions League place on track.
I think it is very harsh but is a symptom of the fact that when you give any football fans a taste of success they want more. It becomes like a drug to them and they become frustrated when things do not go as they wish.
O'Neill will be lifting Agbonlahor and his players after a disappointing spell. He has done a magnificent job at Villa Park and if there is a manager who can rally that team, it is Martin.
I would have to say, though, that I fancy Arsenal to clinch that fourth Champions League place now because they are starting to play well and get big players back.
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