Rafa's Reds still not showing title class as United take the points at Anfield

Rafael Benitez's side have faced Arsenal and Manchester United at home this season and have fallen way short of the required standard on both occasions.

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An August draw at Anfield against Chelsea may have hinted at a bright season but the evidence provided by subsequent matches against their two other main title rivals should have worried the Liverpool manager a little as he headed into a meeting with the club's American owners last night.

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Played off the park by Arsenal in drawing 1-1 at the end of October, Liverpool were taught another lesson in front of their own supporters yesterday — and this time the timing of a deserved defeat could not have been worse for the manager.

Benitez has already put his future at risk with his petulant outburst at Tom Hicks and George Gillett three weeks ago.

Last night he sat round a table with the club's American owners in the knowledge that a tilt at winning the Premier League this season may already be beyond his team.

The timing of Benitez's attack on Hicks and Gillett always seemed peculiar.

If you are going to become truculent and divisive, it is always best to do it from a position of strength.

As yesterday's performance showed, Benitez's team is not yet good enough to afford him that luxury.

Far from it.

This was an altogether dispiriting performance from Liverpool.

Although it was high on effort, energy and commitment, it was equally low on intelligence and quality.

Benitez suggested United had been lucky. They were not.

The controlled football came from Sir Alex Ferguson's team who, although never at their best, always appeared a little more in control of their own destiny.

United defended well for long periods and even managed to cope with some eccentric moments from goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

When they broke, they did so with fluency.

"That's why we're champions," sang their travelling supporters. It was easy to see what they meant.

The winning goal was a chaotic, scruffy affair that came in the closing moments of the first half.

In fact, it was typical in many ways of much of the football that was played.

Ryan Giggs rolled a corner to Wayne Rooney who had been left criminally unmarked on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area and the United striker's first-time shot deflected off Jamie Carragher into the path of Carlos Tevez.

Five yards from goal, Tevez could not and did not miss.

For Liverpool it was a crushing blow at the end of a half that had seen them waste the best two opportunities.

For United, it merely gave them something to cling to and they did so with a surprising degree of comfort.

Perhaps it would have been different had Liverpool taken the lead when the chances came their way.

Maybe United would have chased the game a little and left some space into which the muted Fernando Torres could gallop.

Liverpool's best period came either side of the half-hour mark.

First, United's Brazilian midfielder Anderson hacked a Harry Kewell shot off the line after Van der Sar failed to collect a high ball. Torres headed the rebound wide from a couple of yards.

Minutes later, Van der Sar erred again, flattening Rio Ferdinand and watching the ball roll goalwards off the back of the defender's head.

This time Patrice Evra intervened on the goalline.

As odd as it sounds, that was as good as it got for Liverpool.

With Kewell and Yossi Benayoun proving themselves to be the home team's worst two players, Liverpool had absolutely no width.

Everything was channelled frenetically through the middle and with the excellent Owen Hargreaves shielding Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic so perfectly, United presented something akin to a brick wall in central areas.

It says much for the nature of the match that its marquee players were largely anonymous.

For Liverpool, Torres never threatened. For United, Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo will rarely have less influential afternoons.

With so much at stake, what we got was 90 minutes of helter-skelter football. It was always engaging, but never beguiling.

United were on the back foot in the second period, but with a goal in the bank they appeared happy enough.

Liverpool enjoyed fleeting moments of penetration. John Arne Riise threatened twice from distance, Benayoun headed wide and Steven Gerrard volleyed over.

Near the end, substitute Ryan Babel zipped a cross-shot just past the post.

There was, however, a depressing air about much of what Liverpool had to offer.

At times it was like watching Steve McClaren's England at their worst.

When Liverpool needed patience and self-confidence, they didn't have it.

In many ways they played right into United's hands. Remarkably, United have now not conceded a League goal at Anfield for four matches.

That says pretty much everything about the balance of power in the English game.

FABIO'S FILE

WAYNE ROONEY (Manchester United, aged 22) Another committed and intelligent performance showed what an asset he will be to England for the next 10 years or so despite one glaring miss.