Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1: Park drives United on and Liverpool to despair

Park Ji-sung headed home the winner after an hour, securing the spoils after Wayne Rooney's 33rd goal of the season had levelled Fernando Torres's fifth-minute opener.

Although victory was not achieved without a nervy ending, during which Torres spurned a glorious chance to equalise, the result kept the champions' noses in front of Arsenal and Chelsea. For Liverpool though, fight was not enough.

When they scored four times in the corresponding fixture last season, it appeared to open the door to that championship Holy Grail. Not only has that been proved fool's gold, a 10th defeat of the season leaves them requiring slip-ups from Tottenham and others just to finish in a Champions League spot.

The fourth-place finish manager Rafael Benitez guaranteed before Christmas could hardly be further away.

Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed that a game of tiddlywinks between what the majority still believe to be England's biggest clubs could trigger the deepest of passions.

Certainly there was no sense of inferiority from the visitors despite their present status. It was the Merseysiders who had won the previous three meetings – each of which featured the dismissal of Nemanja Vidic, who it seems in Torres has found someone he simply cannot handle.

Such is the mystique surrounding that duel there was an audible gasp the first time Torres ran at the Serbian. Like so much of the opening period's final half-hour, it petered out disappointingly. The spark had been ignited long before that, although Torres was the one who flicked the switch.

Five minutes into the contest, Torres seized on the loose ball after Michael Carrick had lost possession, sending Steven Gerrard away at top speed with an inspired backheel.

As Gerrard found Dirk Kuyt to his right, Torres continued his run. By the time Kuyt dug out his cross, the Spaniard was on his own and he guided the ball out of Edwin van der Sar's reach.

For Liverpool, the equaliser came far too quickly. Controversy was immediate too. Benitez argued Javier Mascherano's attempt to haul back Antonio Valencia was outside the box, which, indeed, was where the infringement began. Ferguson countered the combative midfielder had prevented a clear goalscoring opportunity.

The managers continued their finger-jabbing row long after Wayne Rooney had tucked home the rebound from a spot-kick awarded by Howard Webb and saved by Pepe Reina.

That was it for the goal threat until the hour mark arrived.

During his long career, Gary Neville has gone on plenty of unselfish runs down the right wing, knowing David Beckham or, more latterly, Cristiano Ronaldo were never going to give him the ball.

Darren Fletcher is not quite of that attacking calibre but Neville must have sensed his run was purely to provide space for the Scot.

So it proved. As Neville flew past on the overlap, Emiliano Insua edged to his right. In an instant, Fletcher had exploited the gap and curled over a cross.

As Rooney and Jamie Carragher tussled and tugged, Park arrived behind them, launching himself at the ball like a guided missile and powering a diving header into the corner of Reina's goal.

Rooney had one more chance before the end, which he fired wide. Torres was on the end of a far better one when Gerrard drilled over a low cross late on.

For once against United, the Spaniard miscued and Yossi Benayoun headed the loose ball straight at Edwin van der Sar.

United could celebrate, Neville and Ferguson doing the cheerleading.