Liverpool-Man Utd: Van Der Sar and Babel Reinvigorate Rafa's Reign

When Carlos Tevez put Manchester United ahead after barely three minutes, you could feel the storm clouds gathering around Liverpool’s manager, Rafa Benitez.

In the game’s build up, much had been made of the Spaniard’s record in the league against United, which read: just one goal (an own goal, at that) and one point in eight meetings.

After Javier Mascherano inexplicably lost Tevez in midfield, allowing his Argentinian compatriot to latch onto Dimitar Berbatov’s speculative cut-back, an improvement on that record looked extremely unlikely.

More worryingly for Benitez, it seemed improbable that he would get another chance to redeem himself.

Before the game, the Spirit of Shankly (SOS) group marched in protest against Liverpool’s American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks. But the fact is, Benitez’s position is far more precarious than either man in the directors box.

Their mutual distrust has been well documented, and the public and ultimately humiliating (for all parties) pursuit of Gareth Barry did nothing to improve relations. In the Americans’ eyes, only success could save their Spanish employee.

As Tevez wheeled away in celebration, leaving the stunned Kop behind him in silence, all that was clear was that this, this was not success.

The evidence against Benitez looked damning.

The team had not performed well this season—has the club ever played worse than they did at Villa Park two weeks ago?—and clearly could not directly compete with the rest of the “Big Four” (they took just four points off their rivals last year).

Most damagingly, the one thing Benitez had fought his American owners so rigorously for—transfer funds—seemed to be the one thing he was most incompetent at utilising.

Robbie Keane, the £20 million summer signing, had failed to make an impact. And Andrea Dossena, the Italian whom Benitez spent over £7m on this summer, has been unable to displace Fabio Aurelio in defence—despite bringing a reputation with him from Udinese of playing best against the big teams.

And then £17m Mascherano conspired to gift Man Utd a crucial advantage. On the touchline, despite fulfilling his usual penchant for furious note-making, Benitez could not hid his nervousness.

All that changed though, after a flurry of activity involving Edwin Van Der Sar’s arms and Wes Brown’s knee, after a Xabi Alonso cross, resulted in an inexplicable own goal from the England defender.

Van Der Sar was at fault, but the Anfield faithful didn’t care. After 28 minutes, Liverpool were level.

It wasn’t just in the scoreline that the Reds were level, either. Spurred on by the fortuitous goal, the home side looked every bit as dangerous as their illustrious opponents, with Dirk Kuyt denied on a number of occasions by Van Der Sar.

Man Utd had their chances, too—Tevez was unable to double his tally after a well-worked move, and Giggs (a half-time substitute for the injured Carrick) tested Reina with a dipping volley—but Liverpool had managed that rarest of feats, making Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand look unsettled.

Keane and Kuyt were creating the majority of United’s headaches, creating time and space for each other to exploit. They brought both wingers into the game, with both Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera causing their respective full-backs problems.

The performance of Riera must have especially pleased Benitez. The £9m former Espanyol left-winger looked a threat for much of the game, especially when he was allowed to break infield. To put the icing on the cake, it was Riera’s presence that resulted in Brown’s own goal.

Content with what he had seen for they day, Benitez withdrew Riera after 75 mins, replacing him with the more adventurous Ryan Babel. It was a move that would reap dividends.

The Dutchman, on for barely five minutes, grabbed the game’s winner in front of the Kop, after great work from Mascherano and Kuyt. Arriving late in the box, Babel volleyed Kuyt’s cutback into the ground, and past Van Der Sar’s outstretched hand.

In barely an hour, the Kop had gone from dejected silence to unbridled joy.

In barely an hour, Benitez had gone from dead man walking to king of Anfield oncemore.

Liverpool held on for the remaining 10 minutes, restricting their arch-rivals to few clear-cut chances. They even got to revel in the sending off of Vidic, a fitting end to a torrid day for the Serbian.

The final whistle was greeted with pure glee from the Liverpool fans, as they opened up a six-point lead (United have a game in hand) on their most hated of opponents. The come-from-behind victory will, undoubtedly, inspire title talk on Merseyside.

But for Benitez, it might prove to be a defining day in his tenure at Anfield. With such a historic victory, he has only inspired even more loyalty from the fans—and consequently demanded action from Gillett and Hicks.

The Americans must back the Spaniard now, if their position is to remain tenable. If they don't, you wonder how they can continue in charge of the club, as the protests of SOS and other groups will only grow.

Benitez and the Liverpool players have illustrated the level of their ambition; now it is time for the Americans to show theirs.

With DIC waiting in the wings, Liverpool could look back on this week as a defining one in their recent history.