Tevez strike settles Anfield battle

Whereas John O'Shea's goal in the corresponding fixture came in stoppage time and spurred United on to the title, this time the first half was nearing its end when Carlos Tevez struck.

And while the Argentina forward's effort will not prove decisive in the championship race at this early stage, it has left United nine points in front of their fierce north-west rivals, who, after suffering their first defeat at Reading last week, have now lost their unbeaten home record too.

It is not the ideal backdrop to Rafael Benitez's crunch meeting with co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, although United, unbeaten in Premier League combat on this ground for six years now, will not care much about that.

What incisive football was played amid a frenzied atmosphere was all from Liverpool. The chances fell the way of the men in red too. Unfortunately, the shots were either off target or failed to beat a United defender stood on the line.

Liverpool's efforts were assisted by a rare faltering performance from Edwin van der Sar, who first raced into a crowd of United defenders as he tried to collect a Steven Gerrard free-kick that had been deflected high into the air.

Harry Kewell was on to the loose ball first but drove his volley straight at Anderson, who was still marshalling a post. Fernando Torres should have finished off the rebound but, from six yards, nodded disappointingly wide. Then, when Van der Sar collided with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand's back header seemed destined to bounce into his own net until Patrice Evra raced back to clear.

Yet, for all the pressure, it was United who took the lead two minutes before the break when Wayne Rooney was left unmarked on the edge of the area from a Ryan Giggs corner, Alvaro Arbeloa then remained rooted to the goalline as Liverpool pushed up hoping for an offside as the ball fizzed into the box.

Tevez was actually behind Pepe Reina as he scooped home his eighth goal of the season but with Arbeloa behind him, it did not matter and the Argentina forward wheeled away in celebration, the ball hitting virtually the same spot O'Shea had found in March.

Ryan Babel skimmed a shot agonisingly wide of Van der Sar's left post in an anxious 10 minutes, but United held on for three precious points.