I'd like to think that on Wednesday past, Mr. Benitez poured himself a glass of rioja, sat down to bask in the glory of a brilliant victory over Real Madrid, typed his name into Google to read about his magnificence, and stumbled upon this blog. I'd also like to think that he took the time to read the most recent post and decided that it was time to lay caution to the wind and give Liverpool fans what they want.
Of course he didn't.
That being said, something must have happened. A little spark, a lightbulb, something like that. Whatever it was, not even the most optimistic of Kopites could foresee such a rewarding trip up the M62 a few days later. However surprising the result was (United haven't conceded 4 goals at Old Trafford since Q.P.R. visited in 1992), the scoreline was hardly flattering for Liverpool.
Liverpool hassled Manchester United from the off, got into their faces, closed them down quickly, and got men behind the ball when required. Sounds just like Liverpool under Benitez, right? Liverpool fans must have been fearing the worst when Pepe Reina bundled Park Ji-Sung over to give the hosts the chance to lead. Ronaldo obliged.
What followed was even more impressive from Liverpool. Their passing was sharp and incisive, their commitment faultless. The difference on Saturday, however, was Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. Yes, without the pair, Liverpool may be average, but they have them and with them in the team it suddenly becomes a more impressive unit.
We can pick the bones out of United's (and particularly Nemanja Vidic's) performance, but they simply could not handle the pace and movement of Liverpool's front men. Torres created the equaliser for himself via his frightening turn of speed and endeavour. Of course Vidic should not have given him the chance, but let's not take anything away from the Spaniard's assured finish.
Over to you, Steven.
Gerrard created the goal to send the travelling fans into ruptures, drawing the foul from Patrice Evra. With the penalty dispatched just beyond the grasp of Edwin Van Der Sar, Liverpool were firmly in the ascendency. United huffed and puffed after half-time, but the resilience of Benitez's men was plain to see. Not many can argue with the foul which lead to the dismissal of Vidic - again due to the driving force of Liverpool's captain; Aurelio's free-kick was simply pouring salt on the wounded beast.
As Old Trafford emptied, Andrea Dossena lobbed Van Der Sar to put a gloss on an accomplished performance, which perhaps signalled that there may yet be life in this year's title race. Manchester United still have a four point advantage over their north-west rivals and Chelsea, with a game in hand. It will still take a monumental collapse for United to surrender their grasp on the Premier League trophy. That's what we were saying on Saturday morning, and if it is to happen, it had to start somewhere.
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