United claim controversial win

Wes Brown had headed United ahead after 34 minutes before Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when Javier Mascherano, booked earlier, was sent off for dissent just before half-time.

Liverpool fought gamely after the break but Cristiano Ronaldo and then Nani inflicted deeper wounds.

The match, however, will mainly be remembered for the actions of Mascherano who had to be hauled from the pitch, such was his anger at his dismissal, and his boss Rafael Benitez was equally unhappy with the incident.

The deadlock was broken after 34 minutes when Wayne Rooney's curling cross was met by the unlikely figure of Brown - who reached it before Jose Reina and saw his header drop into the net.

Then Liverpool's frustrations with perceived injustices saw them implode.

Reina produced a point-blank save to stop a Ronaldo effort and produced another improbable save from Rooney.

Fernando Torres, clinical in recent matches, then missed a decent chance when Steven Gerrard's free-kick found him unmarked at the far post.

Reina denied Ronaldo with a block which hit the bar, but United were not to be denied as Nani's 79th-minute corner was headed home by Ronaldo - and two minutes later Nani created space for himself on the edge of the box to blast in the third.