The word fact has an indelible association with Rafa Benitez,
but Sir Alex Ferguson has a firm grasp of some. For Manchester
United, they are pertinent. When he arrived in 1986, the ledger
stood at 16-7. Within four years, the advantage had been extended
to 18-7. Now Manchester United and Liverpool are tied with 18
titles apiece.
Liverpool find themselves powerless to halt United's march
towards the historic 19th. Their opportunity to maintain their
share of pre-eminence departed as Park Ji-sung headed Ferguson's
team to a sixth successive win.
With seven games to go, a fourth successive Premier League crown
beckons. The club's 19th would be the culmination of a life's work
for Ferguson. Besides the balance of power in English football,
much has changed in his extraordinary reign. When he was appointed
in 1986, the notion of a South Korean determining a fixture of
significance near the East Lancs Road and the Manchester Ship Canal
was far-fetched.
But United's global appeal has mushroomed in the subsequent time
and Park's presence can appear an indication of that. It is
welcomed in Seoul, if not always in Stretford. He sells shirts but
wearing one is another altogether. He can seem that contradiction
in terms, defensive attacker, deployed in the final third to
nullify opponents.
Yet Ferguson prizes players who perform when it matters most;
silverware is not secured by trickery alone and an ability to
prosper under pressure is in Manchester United's DNA. And cometh
the hour, cometh the man. One who invariably figures in the major
matches produced a winner in the 60th minute. His three goals this
season have come against Arsenal, AC Milan and now Liverpool; a
reputation as a big-game player has been cemented.
"We can give him roles to play because of his intelligence and
discipline," said Ferguson, who used the South Korean ahead of the
midfield and behind Wayne Rooney. "Today we found him another role,
slightly different from the Milan game but nevertheless really
important. He's such a great little lad that his courage got him
the goal."
If there is such a thing, it was scarcely a typical Park goal.
Heading in Darren Fletcher's cross, however, can not be construed
as a fluke. Two earlier headers were off target, but they were
indications he was making well-timed runs into the Liverpool box.
While men converged around Rooney, whose goal was the consequence
of a penalty, his less feared sidekick had rather fewer
minders.
In the process, he extended United's tradition of unlikely
scorers against Liverpool - Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea
and Mikael Silvestre all got important goals in the last few years
- and worsened their predicament. They languish in sixth; Benitez
believes, but many outsiders do not.
A 16th defeat of the season in all competitions is a damning
statistic, though Liverpool's performance was far superior to those
in the setbacks in Wigan and Lille. A strategic battle that
threatened to be a stalemate was his sort of game; it was also
Park's. It was not a fiesta of free-flowing football but United
have an aptitude for industry.
"For periods of the game we played very well, for others we had
to dig and concentrate," said their manager. He and Benitez agree
on few things - "he has an opinion about everything," said the
Spaniard - but they opted for identical systems. The result
rendered it a tactical triumph for Ferguson.
Of the two men deployed in the hole, Steven Gerrard was
initially more influential than Park. He released Dirk Kuyt in the
fifth minute, the Dutchman crossed and Fernando Torres, whose
psychological hold over the United defence remains, headed in
unmarked.
There was a swift but hotly-disputed response. Antonio Valencia
headed for the penalty area at speed, a tugging Javier Mascherano
attempting to halt his progress. Eventually, the Ecuadorian went to
ground: but was the offence inside or outside the area? "I have a
lot of doubts," said Benitez. "It is not clear. It is clear that
there is contact but the way he fell down... strange." Penalty,
argued Ferguson; spot-kick, ruled referee Howard Webb. Jose Reina,
something of a specialist in such situations, saved from Rooney,
but the striker converted the rebound.
Not that it provided an end to the disagreements as a
contretemps on the touchline showed. "It was a yellow card, yes,"
said Benitez after Mascherano was cautioned. "A definite red card,
I must say," insisted Ferguson.
He has been warring with Liverpool managers for almost a quarter
of a century. But, right or wrong, a man who likes to have the last
word in any argument almost has the ultimate retort: 19-18.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Darren Fletcher. Ferguson
noted that his most dependable midfielder had missed each of the
last three meetings with Liverpool, all of them won by the
Merseysiders. On his return, the Scot excelled, creating the winner
in a typically determined display. "He covers every inch of the
ground," said his manager. "He does an unbelievable job for
us."
MANCHESTER UNITED VERDICT: Wins come in many
forms and guises. Not for the first time, United proved they are
well capable of grinding them out. Knowing how to win games is an
invaluable skill, and it is one they possess. As he has done of
late, Ferguson reiterated the importance of finally being able to
reunite Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in the centre of defence. Ryan
Giggs made a brief appearance from the bench, another returnee who
should prove useful in the next couple of months.
LIVERPOOL VERDICT: Benitez reverted to type in
his selection, with men such as Kuyt and Lucas preferred to more
adventurous alternatives like Ryan Babel and Alberto Aquilani. That
said, Liverpool justified that choice by restricting United's
chances for much of the match. The disappointment should be that, a
late Torres mis-kick apart, they rarely threatened an equaliser.
Well-drilled defensively, there were only two flaws: a seeming
inability to track Park's runs and Emiliano Insua's travails
against the pace of Valencia. Both goals originated on his
flank.
