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Round-up: Torres gives Liverpool derby win

By Telegraph staff and agencies
Last Updated: 7:50pm BST 30/03/2008

Liverpool 1 (1) Everton 0 (0)

Liverpool took a significant step towards securing fourth place in the Premier League with a tense 1-0 victory over Everton in the 207th Merseyside derby.

Rafa Benitez's team, who face Arsenal in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates on Wednesday, rarely looked in danger of conceding the points after Fernando Torres had put them ahead on seven minutes with his 21st league goal of the season.


Happy 21st: Fernando Torres hits Premier League goal No 21 to give Liverpool a derby victory at Anfield

Everton were without broken foot victim Tim Cahill and strikers Andy Johnson, Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan, leaving Yakubu Aiyegbeni alone up front. But it was the Nigerian forward's dithering outside his own penalty box that gave Torres his early opportunity. Steven Gerrard then hit the post and the hosts should have had the match wrapped up by half-time.

Poor in the first-half, Everton attempted to claw themselves level after the break as Leon Osman almost equalised on 59 minutes when his near post header from Mikel Arteta's free-kick flashed narrowly wide of the near post.

But despite a late surge, David Moyes' side could not find the breakthrough and Liverpool held on for a victory that puts them five points clear in the race for fourth spot with six matches of the campaign remaining.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Bugatti Veyron

Manchester United & Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is one quick player - but is he quicker than one of the World's fastest production car, the Bugatti Veyron?
With his new Nike Mercurial Vapor IV soccer boots, Ronaldo is now even quicker than before. The new Vapor 4 boots are not released until 1st February, Ronaldo debuts in these boots against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Saturday 12th January and scores his first hatrick in English football.

Manchester United extend lead as Liverpool implode

Manchester United (1) 3 Liverpool (0) 0

The long fuse lit by Ashley Cole on Wednesday night exploded in Javier Mascherano's face with lethal consequences. If there were ever a time to run 20 yards to a referee and contest a decision, yesterday at Old Trafford was not it, and Steve Bennett was most definitely not the official to confront.

As he tried to explain and justify the moment that wrecked whatever chances Liverpool had of pulling back Manchester United's one-goal lead, his manager, Rafael Benitez, said that Mascherano "did not know the referee". This was the truest remark he was to make in the Old Trafford press room.

Red mist: Javier Mascharano will be suspended after being sent off for dissent at Old Trafford
Bennett is not a man noted for his sense of humour or tolerance. Moreover, he had been the fourth official at White Hart Lane when Cole, having merely been booked for a horrendous challenge on Tottenham's Alan Hutton, held Mike Riley up to ridicule before turning his back on him.

Perhaps, standing on the touchline, Bennett thought that if it had been up to him, Cole would have been sent to the dressing room; perhaps, yesterday, he had grown increasingly tired of Mascherano's back-chat. Certainly Bennett had been criticised in print on the morning of the match by the referees' boss, Keith Hackett, for failing to indicate to Riley that Cole's challenge merited a straight red card, although Bennett later claimed he had not had a proper view of the incident.

They say that you are fluent in a foreign language if you think in it and, as he proved after his first yellow card for a dreadful tackle on Paul Scholes, the Argentine can certainly swear in English.

There were a whole cocktail of issues in the air when Fernando Torres, having won a free-kick for a foul by Rio Ferdinand, was booked for dissent. It was then that Mascherano decided to make his opinions known. Under the circumstances, it was like a man whose first reaction on smelling gas is to reach for his packet of Marlboro. First, Xabi Alonso tried to hold him back and then Benitez walked from the dug-out gesturing to him to keep away. They sensed what was coming.

advertisementMascherano did not unleash a wave of invective against Bennett; that came later and his reluctance to leave the field is likely to see his one-match ban extended. He seemed to be smiling as he talked to the referee but, when he was shown a second yellow card, he erupted in a mixture of rage and frustration.

Mascherano almost had to be forcibly removed from the pitch with the Liverpool assistant manager, Alex Miller, and his captain, Steven Gerrard, appearing to show him scant sympathy. Afterwards, Benitez was rather more understanding, saying Mascherano was so upset because he thought he had done nothing wrong while admitting he should not have approached the referee.

That decision did not cost Liverpool the game; they were already a goal down. Jose Reina's indecision in coming for Wayne Rooney's cross had provided Wes Brown with his third goal in 293 games for United and continued a pattern in these fixtures.

Not only have Liverpool under Benitez been almost completely unable to penetrate United's defence - they have now played 11 hours of Premier League football against them without scoring - but they have conceded goals to some unlikely figures. Mikael Silvestre, John O'Shea, Ferdinand and now Brown have all made decisive contributions in these matches. Yesterday, Brown, sandwiched between Reina and Martin Skrtel, saw the ball deflect in off his back.

You would, however, be pushed to suggest that United were fortunate. Only in the early stages of the second half did Liverpool appear to show any composure. Reina did a passable impression of Bruce Grobbelaar on a bad day, rushing heedlessly out of his area and missing crosses of the kind that presented Cristiano Ronaldo with his first goal against Liverpool - and United's second on the day - immediately after he had struck the crossbar. He also kicked into touch like a third-grade rugby player and yet pulled off two fine one-on-one saves from Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. Stopping Nani's third would have been beyond any goalkeeper.

If Liverpool were a tactical mess, then United demonstrated the late-season poise that should see them close the gap on Liverpool's record number of titles to just one. "It was a performance of maturity," reflected Sir Alex Ferguson. "We have seen this team mature over the last six months or so and now they have reached the high peak."

This is the fixture that means more to the United manager than any other and he put his trust in experienced men like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs while Ferdinand snuffed out any lingering threat from Torres. United are indeed on a high plateau and, leading the pack by five points with seven games to play, Ferguson can look down and, cold-eyed, survey another championship coming his way.

Man of the match
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 9

Scored his 25th Premier League goal of the season
Eight shots in total (including blocked)
95 per cent pass completion

Chelsea now Manchester United's main rivals

Chelsea yesterday emerged as Manchester United's main contenders in the Premier League title race as their manager, Avram Grant, answered vocal chants from his own supporters for Jose Mourinho by denting Arsenal's hopes with a 2-1 victory.

Grant's first league win against any of the 'Big Four' clubs, coupled with Manchester United's 3-0 victory against Liverpool, means that United now have a five-point cushion over Chelsea, who have climbed above Arsenal to second.


The difference: Didier Drogba's timely return to form ensured Chelsea are still in the hunt for the title
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that it was a "big setback" and conceded that United and Ferguson were the biggest winners of the day. It was also hugely significant for Grant, who had been subjected to chants from his own fans as Chelsea went 1-0 behind and he opted to withdraw Michael Ballack and Claude Makelele.

Supporters sang "You don't know what you're doing" and then Mourinho's name before Didier Drogba scored twice. Grant then questioned Drogba's form in recent weeks.

"I think it's about time [for Drogba]," he said. "All the players who came from the Africa Cup of Nations were not in the shape they were before. It's reasonable, it was 40 degrees, humid and they didn't train.

"I agree [it was a big win]. I didn't hear the crowd, I was concentrating."

Drogba praised the manager's impact during the game. "The subs gave us what we wanted," he said. "The goals give us the belief we can be in the race against Manchester United."

Wenger was unhappy that both Drogba and Nicolas Anelka were in an offside position as the ball was played forward for the equaliser and said Chelsea had got back into the game by playing "long-ball" football. "It's difficult to swallow because we played quite well, we were in control of the game and what was left to Chelsea was to play long balls and we didn't deal well enough with it," Wenger said.

Since losing 4-0 to United in the FA Cup, Arsenal have now collected just four points in the league from a possible 15. "We have some defensive problems we need to sort out - as a unit we have to show more authority in these situations," Wenger added.