Manchester United-Liverpool: The Red Devils Go Marching On

Manchester United eased to a 3-0 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford as the Red Devils tightened their grip on the top spot in the Premier League and continued their dominance over their bitter rivals. 

Rafael Benitez is now yet to record a league win over Sir Alex Ferguson’s troops in eight attempts and his side never came close to ending the winless streak on Sunday.

United took the lead through a surprising source in the form of Wes Brown and never once looked like allowing Liverpool a chance to earn anything from the match.  Cristiano Ronaldo doubled United’s lead in the second half and substitute Nani rubbed salt in Liverpool’s wounds by smashing a third past Jose Reina.

The main talking point of the match was the sending off of Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano.  The Argentinean was shown a second yellow card for dissent after earlier being booked for a late challenge on Paul Scholes. 

Mascherano may have felt hard done by, but few of his teammates disputed referee Steve Bennett’s decision.  They were more concerned about forcing Mascherano to leave the field in order for play to be resumed.

Once order was restored, United claimed control as they sought to slay Liverpool’s slim chances of a comeback.  The Red Devils dominated the entire second half as Liverpool looked content to keep the score line respectable. 

The final whistle was met with elation from both sets of fans. United fans celebrated as their side earned a valuable win in their push for the title whilst the away support were relieved their opponents score was not as high as it could have been.

The result means two entirely different things for both sets of teams.  For United it means an extended lead at the top following Chelsea’s win over Arsenal which sees them leapfrog into second place and Arsenal slip into third. 

For Liverpool it means their already slim title hopes have all but completely diminished.  Benitez's men will now be focused solely on securing the fourth and final Champions League spot.  Next up for the Reds are their Merseyside rivals, Everton, who lurk only two points behind in fifth place.  The race for fourth spot is heating up.

But it’s the race for the title that will certainly be catching most people’s attention.  Manchester United is at home to Aston Villa next weekend and they will hope to continue their march towards the title.  With both Chelsea and Arsenal breathing down their necks, the reigning champions cannot afford any slip-ups. 

Confidence will be high amongst the United players after their resounding win over Liverpool.  Chelsea, however, will also be buoyed by their comeback win over Arsenal.  All four teams will now be aiming for nothing less than maximum points for the remainder of the season. 

The race for the title is on!