Liverpool vs. Manchester United: Kuyt Goal Eliminates Red Devils from FA Cup

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt eliminated Manchester United from the FA Cup with a goal in the 88th minute to give the Reds a 2-1 victory at Anfield.

Kuyt came onto the pitch as a substitute at the 63rd-minute mark for defender Jamie Carragher.

The win was revenge for Liverpool's 1-0 FA Cup defeat last season at Old Trafford. Daniel Agger scored the first goal of the match in the 21st minute from a header on a corner kick. Ji-Sung Park equalized in the 37th-minute with a near-post shot that beat Reds goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

What This Means

This victory is massive for Liverpool because they have beaten their arch rivals and in the process knocked them out of the FA Cup.

After Luis Suarez was banned eight matches in December resulting from his racial abuse of United defender Patrice Evra in a league match between the two clubs in October, the rivalry has been taken to another level.

Liverpool still have a chance to play two finals at Wembley Stadium this season. They advanced to the Carling Cup Final with a 3-2 aggregate win over Manchester City on Wednesday.

The Reds have not won the FA Cup since their memorable triumph over West Ham in 2006 and have not won the Carling Cup since 2003.

Manchester United continues their FA Cup drought and have not won the competition since 2004. After being eliminated from the Carling Cup and Champions League already this season, the Red Devils have only the Premier League and Europa League left to win.

What's Next?

Manchester United has a real crisis at the goalkeeper position because of starter David de Gea's poor performance against Liverpool on Saturday.

The young Spanish keeper has not looked comfortable in the Premier League this season and has struggled to find consistent success. After a shaky performance against the Reds, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson must consider starting backup Anders Lindegaard.

For United, their focus will shift to defending their league title and winning the Europa League. They are three points behind league leaders Manchester City in the league table. The next phase of the Europa League begins on February 14.

Liverpool will now continue their pursuit of two league cup trophies this season and are full of confidence after eliminating both Manchester clubs from competitions this week.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter @NicholasGoss.