BABEL FIRES WINNER AS REDS GO TOP

Rafa Benitez has recorded his first league win over Manchester United after Ryan Babel added to a Wes Brown OG to give Liverpool a 2-1 victory at Anfield.

The Reds had to recover from a nightmare start after Carlos Tevez gave the visitors a third minute lead.

A calamitous error from Edwin van der Sar led to Brown's OG midway inside the first half before substitute Babel became the first Red to score a league goal against United in more than four years to win the game.

A 90th minute sending off for Nemanja Vidic added late drama to a fantastic match which will long be remembered round these parts.

The result is even more satisfying given the fact Benitez went into the encounter without talisman Steven Gerrard and top goalscorer Fernando Torres - albeit both made the seven-man bench. For their part, United had to cope with the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, though Alex Ferguson could call upon £30million deadline day signing Dimitar Berbatov.

It was the Bulgarian who played the orchestrator as the game got off to a frenetic start. Even before the goal, Berbatov had a shot blocked by the arms of Martin Skrtel, though thankfully Howard Webb adjudged it to be accidental.

United will say that justice was done just moments later when the new boy's low cross rolled agonisingly past the Reds backline towards Tevez, who made no mistake in finding the back of Pepe Reina's net.

Three minutes gone and our chances of recording a first league win over United since April 2004 were already severely dented.

The Liverpool response was almost immediate as Dirk Kuyt volleyed narrowly wide from 15 yards.

Minutes later Kuyt was again denied, this time by the flailing arms of the hapless van der Sar, who recovered well from some sloppy handling. This was followed by some neat trickery from debutant Albert Riera, who appeared to be fouled after evading two defenders in the box. Again referee Webb kept his whistle in his pocket, making it 1-1 in the questionable penalty decision stakes.

If tempers were always under control, there remained a palpable bite to proceedings, illustrated with a petulant challenge from Wayne Rooney on 22 minutes after a fierce but perfectly time tackle from Javier Mascherano.

If this wasn't quite madness, what followed four minutes later certainly was as Xabi Alonso's 25-yard cross-cum-shot deflected off one United defender before a horrible spill from van der Sar sent the ball into the net off Brown's shin.

In what can only be described as an act of footballing romanticism, Anfield announcer George Sefton gave the goal to the lurking Riera, but the Spanish international will have to wait a little longer to record his first Liverpool goal.

A relative period of quiet followed, though a couple of excellent interventions from stand-in captain Jamie Carragher were required to thwart the ever-dangerous Berbatov before half-time.

It was Liverpool who created the better openings when the second period got underway, notably when Yossi Benayoun was fed through only to lose control as van der Sar closed in.

Seconds later Mascherano's right boot smashed the ball into the six-yard box, where the lively Robbie Keane waited on legs not quite long enough to get the required flick.

Skrtel was next in the act, playing a one-two with Kuyt before testing the goalkeeper from 20 yards. If this made the Kop smile, then the entrance of Gerrard on 67 minutes made them positively purr.

That said, the skipper's appearance was almost immediately overshadowed by a looping shot from another substitute, Ryan Giggs, which forced a fingertip save from Reina.

Next to make way was Riera, who can be satisfied with a decent 70-minute debut which left the Anfield faithful thirsty for more.

But while he enjoyed an early shower, his replacement, Ryan Babel, wasted no time making his mark by becoming the first Liverpool player to score a league goal against United in almost 14 hours of football.

The 77th minute strike was a product of fantastic persistence from Mascherano down the right, allowing Kuyt to gain possession and roll the ball across the face of goal, where his countryman waited to tuck home with ease.

There was more late drama as the final whistle loomed when Nemanja Vidic went in elbow first on Xabi Alonso to receive a second yellow. Kuyt could have put the icing on the cake in injury time but he was denied from close range by van der Sar.

Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Aurelio, Carragher (captain), Skrtel, Arbeloa, Riera, Alonso, Mascherano, Benayoun, Kuyt, Keane. Subs - Hyypia, Babel, Ngog, Dossena, Cavalieri, Torres, Gerrard

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand (captain), Vidic, Brown, Rooney, Carrick, Scholes, , Tevez, Berbatov. Subs - Giggs, Fletcher, Hargreaves, , Evans, Kuszczak, O'Shea

Referee: Howard Webb

Conditions: Bright

Attendance: 44,192 Liverpoolfc.tv

Man-of-the-Match: Javier Mascherano

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/match/last_match/match_report/index.htm