Dalglish concedes gap on fiercest rivals is still large despite win

The Reds’ 3-1 win over their arch-rivals at Anfield dealt a blow to the Old Trafford club’s bid for a record-breaking 19th championship.

But despite the relative ease of victory for the hosts the match was a typically fiery encounter and was not without its flashpoints.

Jamie Carragher was lucky to escape severe punishment for an over-the-top challenge on Nani which resulted in the Portugal international leaving the field on a stretcher with a gash several inches long on his right shin.

Senior United officials were raging at the decision of referee Phil Dowd to only book the former England star, even if Sir Alex Ferguson’s opinions remain unknown after he skipped his post-match media duties.

After the game Carragher sent an apology to Nani in the United dressing room and waited for the winger to personally say sorry for causing the injury.

The visitors were not just sinned against, however, with Rafael also escaping with a caution for a late lunge on Lucas Leiva moments after Carragher’s tackle.

Dalglish said of the victory: “The closer you get to the top the more difficult it is to close the gap. Moving from 20th to sixth is not as big a problem as moving from two to one so the higher you go the more difficult the step up is.

“United are a great benchmark but our season is not finished.

“We got our reward for the victory in three points in the league but we just want to keep going and get as many as we possibly can.”

Ferguson cancelled his pre-match briefing on Friday in protest at the coverage given to his post-match quotes at Chelsea on Tuesday that have landed him with an improper conduct charge.

In a pre-planned move, United also blanked the media yesterday with Sky Sports, BBC and Radio rights holders talkSPORT – and even MUTV – all left without any comment from the visitors.