REPORTE MANCHESTER UNITED VS LIVERPOOL

A Portuguese one-two from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani plus a rare Wes Brown goal gave United the perfect Easter gift and destroyed any lingering hopes Liverpool had of breaking into the title race.

After all the pre-match talk of great attacking players on the park, it was ironic that defender Brown delivered the telling first blow on a pivotal afternoon in the Premier League. But the main talking point in the media could be the same one that followed last week’s match between Chelsea and Spurs - the relationship between referees and players. For Chelsea’s Ashley Cole and ref Mike Riley, read Javier Mascherano and Steve Bennett - but don’t believe the hype that Liverpool’s midfield hardman lost the match as well as his temper. The storm that probably had teacups flying in the away dressing room couldn’t mask the fact United were as superior to Liverpool on the day as they have been this season. And last season, and the season before that…

Blessed with his usual embarrassment of riches in midfield, Sir Alex Ferguson opted for an effective central trio of Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Anderson. The young Brazilian fashioned the first chance when he fed the ball through to Wayne Rooney in the sixth minute. The United striker shrugged off the challenge of Jamie Carragher but couldn’t beat Pepe Reina, the Liverpool keeper who was alive to the threat and blocked.

The first yellow card was shown to Mascherano - compared by his manager to United legend Roy Keane - when the Argentinian scythed into Keano’s old sidekick Paul Scholes.

Liverpool’s first shot across United’s bows came from an unlikely source as left-back Aurelio blasted the ball beyond the top right-hand corner after a well-orchestrated short corner. The Brazilian enjoyed the better of his early encounters with his direct opponent Cristiano Ronaldo, skipping around one challenge from the Portuguese in his own half and evading another in United territory before firing wide.

Ronaldo had more joy on the left flank, switching in time to strike the post in the 24th minute when Ryan Giggs’ whipped-in free-kick from the right was inadvertently flicked on by a Liverpool defender. When play swung to the other end, United were grateful to the nick off Nemanja Vidic diverting Steven Gerrard’s piledriver over the bar.

Another end-to-end episode just after the half-hour began with Reina almost spilling the ball over his own goal-line before pushing it out at the second attempt to trigger a Fernando Torres-led counter-attack. Liverpool failed to capitalise from the corner he won however and were made to pay when Wes Brown charged forward to power home a header from Rooney’s left-wing cross in the 34th minute. Reina was rocky again, flailing with a punch that missed both the ball and Brown who bravely ran the gauntlet.

It was all too much for the opposition to take - within minutes, Liverpool were a man down as well as a goal down after an extraordinary explosion of indiscipline saw Torres booked for dissent and Mascherano given his marching orders when his backchat brought his second yellow card. And all this after Liverpool were awarded a free kick in United’s half!

Mascherano was like a man possessed and Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez had his work cut out to keep his player away from Bennett, before launching into a heated exchange of his own with United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz. It was a stormy end to a fiery first period with the promise of more fireworks to come.

The half opened with Reina snuffing out Ronaldo’s attempt to extend United’s lead and van der Sar saving a long-range Gerrard shot. Alvaro Arbeloa became the first player after the break to get booked, bringing down Anderson inches outside the Liverpool box. It was close enough for Ronaldo to fancy his chances but this free-kick flew low and just wide of the far post.

Liverpool were on still on the ropes but United’s efforts to kill them off were being frustrated, Rooney having a close-range shot beaten away by Reina while a rarely deployed van der Sar looked on from the other end. There was a little resistance from Liverpool, enough to rattle Rio Ferdinand into a booking during his battle with Torres, but nothing to cause any serious nail-biting among the buoyant United supporters.

Reina dived left to thwart Carlos Tevez, just after United’s match-winner at Anfield came on for Anderson. Nani for Giggs was Sir Alex’s other change and the Portuguese sub swiftly made an impact – twice over.

First Nani’s left-wing corner was headed home emphatically by Ronaldo for his 34th goal of the season; then the youngster grabbed a beautiful goal of his own, cutting inside from the industrious Rooney’s pass and lashing the ball beyond Reina.

The ecstatic Old Trafford faithful chorused ‘Champion-es’ – a celebration of the Reds’ current status or a confident statement about the events still to unfold? On a very happy Easter Sunday for United, it could well have been both.

Manchester United: van der Sar; Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Anderson (Tevez, 73), Scholes; Ronaldo, Giggs (Nani, 73); Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, O’Shea, Hargreaves.

Booked: Ferdinand.

Liverpool: Reina; Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio; Kuyt, Mascherano, Alonso, Babel (Benayoun, 66); Gerrard; Torres (Riise, 83). Subs not used: Itandje, Hyypia, Crouch.

Booked: Torres, Arbeloa.
Sent off: Mascherano.

Attendance: 76,000


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