Babel the Hero As Liverpool Triumph Over Man Utd at Anfield

An inspiring second-half performance and a touch of luck was enough to give Liverpool all three points in their clash with English Champions, Manchester United on Saturday.

The Red Devils went all out on their attack, starting with Rooney, Berbatov, and Tevez, and it paid off as new signing Berbatov created a goal for Carlos Tevez which saw United take the lead within the first two minutes of play.

Liverpool decided to keep star duo, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard on the bench as Albert Riera, Xabi Alonso, Robbie Keane, Yossi Benayoun, and Dirk Kuyt all started.

A frustrated Rafael Benitez looked to the skies as the clock ticked towards half time, perhaps hoping for some divine intervention, and the home side then found their luck as Xabi Alonso's strike deflected of Patrice Evra and after a horrendous error by Edwin Van der Sar it struck Wes Brown and ended up in the back of the net.

United sent on Ryan Giggs for Carrick at the break; the midfielder having taken a heavy blow on his ankle in the first half.

Liverpool brought Steven Gerrard on, followed by Ryan Babel, as United brought on Owen Hargreaves.

Mascherano battled his way down the right and to the line. Kuyt took up possession and played the ball across for Babel to crack home.

In the matter of seconds, the Anfield faithful went up in a roar, as United's day got worse when Nemanja Vidic was sent off for a crude elbow on Xabi Alonso.

Vidic will now miss United's clash with Chelsea next week.

A touch of luck, but a deserved victory for Liverpool.

Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov was impressive during the first half but quieted down as the game progressed.

The Red Devils now face Villareal in midweek before heading for Stamford Bridge.