A look at Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Man Utd

Liverpool gave supporters fresh hope a title challenge could still be on in emphatic style after a dramatic 2-0 victory over arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

Fernando Torres played through the pain of a groin injury to start the game and score his side’s vital breakthrough goal when he latched onto a Yossi Benayoun pass and smashed the ball past Edwin Van der Sar.

David Ngog came off the bench to replace Torres and secure the win in the dying moments when he was sent through by Lucas and finished neatly after both Nemanja Vidic and Javier Mascherano were sent off for two bookable offences.

The past week has seen the media pile the pressure on manager Rafa Benitez while supporters have targeted the club’s owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet Jnr after the Reds went on their worst run of results since 1987.

But the Anfield club’s first victory since September 26, made ever sweeter by the nature of the opponent, has suggested an outside bid for the title could still be on the cards.

The win leaves Liverpool tied for fifth place in the Barclays Premier League with Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and six points off leaders Chelsea. And with the prospect of Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani making his long awaited first team bow in the near future, the situation suddenly seems to be a lot more optimistic at Anfield.

The instant David Ngog sealed victory on Sunday became the very instant the black cloud surrounding the red half of Merseyside over the past week thinned considerably and allowed a ray of sunshine to poke through. Liverpool supporters began to see hope again after staring down the barrel of a gun loaded with red beach balls for over a week.

But hope is just the basic and initial request for Liverpool supporters. Hope is something that arrives at the beginning of every season and something not expected to disappear from Liverpool when the season is just two months old.

It is, however, a great realisation among the Anfield faithful that hope is not tangible. For this to happen and for Liverpool to turn their hope into a first league title since 1990 a lot of hard work must be done by Rafa Benitez and his men.

The imminent debut of Aquilani, while a huge boost for the squad, will not result in a quick fix to the creative problems Liverpool have suffered in many parts of the season. Aquilani is unproven in English football and is just one man – he cannot entirely solve his side’s problem of a lack of backup for first team players.

The win against United should be a catalyst for Hicks and Gillet to realise that Liverpool can still win this title, but only if they put their hands into their pockets in January.

Liverpool cannot afford to lose again for the remainder of the season if they are to be crowned champions. Sunday’s game was billed D-Day for them, but their victory now means D-Day will come every weekend.

By Michael Glover

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