Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd

Source: BBC Sport

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez earned his first Premier League win over Manchester United courtesy of Ryan Babel's deserved late winner.

Carlos Tevez had stunned the Reds after three minutes by expertly sidefooting in a Dimitar Berbatov pull back.

United keeper Edwin Van der Sar palmed a clearance against Wes Brown and saw it roll into his net for the equaliser.

The Reds started to dominate and Babel scuffed in a shot for the winner before United's Nemanja Vidic was sent off.

The victory was Benitez's first in the top flight over United since he took over in the summer of 2004 and was achieved without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the starting line-up. Despite their star men being on the bench after returning from injury, Liverpool produced a performance of real verve to turn around a match which looked out of their grasp during the opening stages.

Three points seemed unlikely after Benitez saw his side fall behind in worrying fashion after just three minutes as United debutant Berbatov made an immediate impact for his new team. He was reunited with ex-Tottenham strike partner Robbie Keane at Anfield as the duo lined up on opposing sides at Anfield.

And, while Keane has struggled to make an impact for Liverpool, Berbatov had no such trouble. He latched on to a clever ball by Anderson and pulled a ball back from the byeline for Tevez, who lost marker Javier Mascherano, to unerringly beat Pepe Reina.