For the next week at least, Rafa Benitez is back on his throne as the king of set piece matches because lets be honest, if you give the Spaniard a 'must win' match, nine times out of ten he'll come out of it smelling of roses. Forget that grinding week-after-week for elusive league titles, just give him the spectacle and at Anfield that's exactly what we got.

Liverpool was magnificent against a strangely subdued Manchester United and deservedly ran out comfortable two-nil winners while reinvigorating their title dreams. From top to bottom this was a team that needed and wanted it more from the first to final whistle. In the process, Rafa and a number of his players took the critics bile and rammed it down their throats. Questions were answered emphatically!

Reds captain, Jamie Carragher turned in a man-of-the-match performance. Mr. Liverpool, who by his own standards has been poor this campaign was power, aggression personified. Fearsome in the tackle, dominating in the air, it makes me wish he'd call up Fabio Capello and say that he'd love to be considered for England selection again. Sure he could've gone for mugging his old teammate, Michael Owen but on this particular day it wasn't cynical enough to convince Andre Marriner that an early bath was called for.

Yossi Benayoun turned in yet another performance of craft and flair surely convincing his boss that he deserves to start and remain on the park, ninety minutes a pop, every single game. His imagination for the decisive pass was never better exemplified than for the opener.

The key to the match though was the work of the defensive shield of Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva. They completely dominated their opponents while starting the attack at every opportunity. Lucas was particularly impressive considering the amount of stick he has been receiving recently. The only blot on the copybook would be Mascherano's suicidal challenge on Edwin van der Sar. Why the Argentine felt compelled to scythe the Dutchman down, only he knows - his loss will be keenly felt as I felt that he was finally shaking off the Maradona induced World Cup Qualifying hangover.

Finally I can't leave the Reds without mentioning the goal scorer, Fernando Torres. Liverpool can survive the loss of Steven Gerrard but forget El Nino who even at 80% fitness is one of the greatest sights I've ever seen on a football pitch. The way he took his one clean-cut chance was breathtaking in its power and desire. Somehow Benitez has to manage his fitness over the next seven months to the best advantage of LFC and not Spain - a double-edged sword for sure.

On the other side of the coin, United's highly impressive 11 game unbeaten streak is over and the meekness of the surrender will have generated some hot air in the visiting dressing room from Sir Alex Ferguson.

Of course his first target was the referee, Marriner and his refusal to grant a spot kick for Carragher's committed challenge on Michael Carrick in the first half saying "Michael Carrick gets a clear penalty kick as far as I was concerned. Jamie Carragher has gone right over the top of the ball. If it is outside of the box it is a free kick and maybe a yellow card. But it was inside the box and the referee was only six yards from it. It was a bad decision, I think."

To give the Scotsman his credit though, he did say and this must've stuck in his craw that Liverpool were the better team and deserved to win the game.

When he conducts his postmortem, a withering look is bound to fall upon, Rio Ferdinand. This is not the first time this campaign that Ferdinand has been responsible for sloppy defending however it is the first time that it has cost them the game. Injuries and age are certainly taking their toll but his rapid rate of deterioration is alarming not only for United but for England's World Cup hopes. Fergie is known for loyalty and patience but he also has a cruel, surgical streak, Rio, you have been warned.

Nemanja Vidic got his now traditional marching orders in this fixture. It is now three consecutive fixtures that the Serb has seen red and each time he can have no argument. Liverpool has taken note that direct running at this usually immaculate defender pays dividends.

The biggest disappointment for me though was Paul Scholes. I have been the biggest fan of the 'Ginger Prince' for as long as I can remember but he doesn't seem to have the legs for this type of encounter anymore. It wasn't that long a go that a misplaced Scholes pass would make headline news, such was the rarity but too often these days they're not finding their targets as he's hurried in possession. I still see him giving full value in Europe where it's more tactical but in the hurly-burly of the Prem, perhaps its time to use him as a substitute.

I would call Dimitar Berbatov a disappointment but why bother it'll take too much effort! This guy is the polar opposite of what a United player is and one wonders just how much longer Fergie can defend him. Silky touches and clever passes will only get you so far at Old Trafford - commitment and drive are the other characteristics. Waving your hands around theatrically and not chasing when play isn't going your way is the surest way to earn yourself a one-way ticket back to London.

Ultimately this loss doesn't hurt United badly, yes, they've had their noses bloodied but in the grand scheme they're exactly where they want to be. Remember this is a team that is second in the table and has all but assured qualification to the knockout round on the UEFA Champions League. They achieved this without Cristiano Ronaldo's goals, without Edwin van der Sar being ever present and without Rio Ferdinand being close to his best. They remain the team to beat.

Kings for the day though are Liverpool and in particular Rafa Benitez. The Spaniard constantly amazes me in his capacity to get the result just when he needs it. If the Saudis buy out George Gillette and he gets a war chest to rival that of Ferguson's and Carlo Ancelotti, perhaps he'll become the King for all seasons.

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.

On June 16^th 2004, the Liverpool football club board made a bold and slightly unconventional move when they signed Spaniard, Rafael Benitez, to manage their club. In his first season that proved to be an inspired signing as he won the UEFA Champions League. He followed this success with the FA Cup in his second campaign. These two trophies bought him time to build, time to experiment and time to bring back the league title to Anfield. That time has expired - Rafael Benitez should now be sacked!

The performance the Reds served up at the Stadium of Light would have had Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley reaching for a wee dram or ten. It was listless, uninspiring and completely out of character for a club with the pedigree of Liverpool FC.  Credit to Sunderland for making it difficult but please, even without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, the Black Cats should be swept aside with ease. It feels like Rafa has lost interest in the Premiership, he's content with the Reds being a cup team and at the end of the day there is a whiff that he's, treading water, just trying to survive and it's not pretty.

For LFC to scale the heights of English football again they must go back to basics, to a time of long sideburns, bad haircuts, T-Rex and the culture of the famed 'boot room'. This is where Liverpool ruled football for twenty-five years and this is where the Merseysiders will find the answers they need. To make things even easier the answers to all their prayers lie right under their noses at Anfield and on this side of the Atlantic.

Owners George Gillette and Tom Hicks need only look towards the Melwood Academy and the stadium that bears one of their names in Foxborough, Mass. for the two men capable of leading the Reds back to the 'promised land' - Kenny Dalglish and Steve Nicol.

For those of you who maybe a little young let me refresh your memories about what these two men brought to LFC.

Before there was Sir Alex Ferguson there was Kenny Dalglish and before there was Roy Keane there was Steve Nicol.

As a player and manager Dalglish won eight League titles, yes EIGHT League titles, three European Cups, yes THREE European Cups, three FA Cups, four League Cups and a cabinet full of assorted trophies, need I go on. 

Nicol was his teammate for four of those League titles while being runners-up another four times. Throw in two of the FA Cups and the European Cup triumph in Rome and surely a picture laden with silverware is beginning to emerge.

These two men are so steeped in the culture of the club that they'll immediately right the most obvious wrong currently swirling around Anfield - namely they'll have the 100% backing of the fans because in my book Rafa has lost them. Secondly they'll instill in the players the passion that made Liverpool the most feared club in the world. Thirdly, only SAF at Old Trafford knows more about winning League titles than Dalglish and Nicol and these men will make that their first priority.

Dalglish is only 58, Nicol a sprightly, feisty 47, both are Scottish and both men have a yearning to be back in the dugout.

Dalglish has said that he walked away from Anfield too soon and that all he needed was a short mental and physical sabbatical away from the game. When you consider what he'd been through, one could hardly blame him. When he did return, it didn't take him long to win another title with Blackburn.

Nicol has said on Fox Football Fone-In that he'd swim back to Liverpool if they offered him the job. After turning water into wine for seven years with the New England Revolution, imagine what he could do with a squad of international players.

I sometimes think that the Premiership and certainly the big clubs get consumed with their own self-importance; they think that only a 'BIG' name could manage their teams. Sometimes though the most obvious answers lies right in front of you and I can guarantee you the following: Kenny Dalglish and Steve Nicol will not rest until they knock Ferguson of his !@#$ perch!

Messrs Hicks and Gillette, heed my words. Pay Benitez off and get two legends of Liverpool FC back to Anfield doing what they've done best throughout their Liverpool careers - win trophies especially League trophies!

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.

Statement Matches There are ‘must win’ matches, there are ‘can’t lose matches’, there are ‘massive’ matches and then there are ‘statement’ matches. At Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Chelsea made a statement that the will be heard long and loud around the English Premier League.

Do you remember this time last season when the Blues were riding the crest of the wave? The football was glowing, the goals were flowing and they seemed unbeatable. Then they hit a speed bump in the form of Liverpool. The Reds waltzed into the Bridge and ended the Londoners magnificent unbeaten home run. Revenge was sweet as that Merseyside speed bump was not just driven over, it was completely flattened with a display of power, hunger and swagger that I’ve not seen from a Chelsea team since the Jose Mourinho era. What a difference a year makes - and that difference is Carlo Ancelotti!

To manage a club like Chelsea you need to be a big manager - a manager that inspires - a manager that know how to win - a manager who you can look his players in the eye and say ‘I’ve been there and I’ve got the medals to prove it.’ Ancelotti is all that and more.

If you examine what the Italian has achieved in his four months at the club since taking over from Guus Hiddink, you’d be tempted to say ‘he’s changed nothing’ - and that my friends is the genius at the heart of this story. How many times have you seen new coaches move to a stable club and change everything to satisfy their own egos? Ancelotti correctly realized that this was a squad that had rediscovered its passion for football towards the end of last season. What he needed to do was to keep this fire stoked. Contrast that to the arrival last season of Luis Filipe Scolari. The Brazilian was insistent that for Chelsea to move beyond Mourinho, they had play fantasy football. What ‘Big Phil’ failed to recognize is that fantasy football may win one-off matches but it doesn’t win league titles, a mistake I guarantee that Ancelotti will never make, emotionally or tactically.

I’ve always admired Ancelotti along with his X’s & O’s and other than the Istanbul miracle his record in big matches is second to none and lets not forget that Chelsea were coming into this match on the back of two poor performances. What he correctly figured out was that Liverpool would come to Stamford Bridge intent on not losing the match as opposed to trying to win it. With this knowledge transmitted to his players there was only going to be one victor. All you had to do was look at the difference in body language between the two sets of players and that was even before the Blues took a deserved lead.

Ashley Cole looks like a different player and is my early candidate for player-of-the-season - credit Ancelotti. Michael Ballack has the enthusiasm of his younger Bayer Leverkusen days – credit Ancelotti. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, two forwards who supposedly could not play together are the most potent double act in the Premiership – credit Ancelotti. It is not by accident that all this is occurring and it won’t be by accident when John Terry lifts the title in May – credit Ancelotti. A

s for Liverpool and Rafael Benitez, the lack of adventure was a real problem for me. If this club wants to win the title they can’t be afraid to lose. It’s no use thumping the likes of Burnley and Hull if you can’t compete with the Chelsea’s and Tottenham’s.

I would love Benitez to have more trust in his team but at the moment they are too rigid and almost predictable. They lack the ability to express themselves in the big matches and it feels like there is no plan B. Stop Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres receiving any kind of service and they resemble a poor man’s Aston Villa. Also questions must be raised about the loyalty being shown to Jamie Carragher who continues to struggle. Does the Spaniard have the guts to do what Sir Alex Ferguson did to Rio Ferdinand and send him to the bench? The answer right now is now and if he can’t make that decision, then his legendary hard headedness knows no bounds.

Ultimately their rivals will have looked at this match and come to the conclusion that they do not pose the greatest of threats. With United and City on the not to distant horizon another couple of losses would signal the end of their title hopes before Christmas!

The final word though must go to the Blues and Ancelotti. Together I think they are the perfect combination of experienced, hungry players tied to a coach who still thinks that he has plenty to prove.

Until then, I’ll see you at the far post.

I'm often asked the following question...'what makes a club big and who qualifies to be mentioned in that breath? For the last decade or so the 'B4' have been automatic nominees in the 'big club' stakes followed by the likes of a Newcastle, a Leeds, even a Manchester City however these clubs pale in historic comparison to a side that wants more than ever to be taken seriously, Tottenham Hotspur.

So what make a big club and do Spurs have the required credentials?

History, check - Honors, check - Passionate & loyal fans, check - Money, check - A big stadium, negative (but due to change) - Belief that you are a big club, negative!

For far too long there has been a culture of underachieving at White Hart Lane and no amount of Carling Cup success is going to change that. Ultimately there has to be a belief that runs throughout the club. They have to feel in their every fiber that the club, from the tea lady, to the captain, that they are 'B4' material. When this happens, I have no doubt that Spurs will achieve it. If you look to London neighbors, Chelsea, for an example, they didn't have that 'belief' until Jose Mourinho instilled it and Roman Abramovich bought it. Spurs are lucky enough to have their own mini-Abramovich in the form of Daniel Levy but one can't but help wonder if Harry Redknapp brings that same Mourinho aura.

I'm tempted to ask whether the crafty cockney can get the same performances from Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes as Mourinho inspired from Petr Cech. Will he get the run of games and passion that makes Ledley King one of the most respected center backs in the Premiership in the same way John Terry produces every week for the Blues. Does he have the same confidence in Tom Huddlestone that the 'Special One' displayed in Frank Lampard? Is the love he feels for Jermain Defoe comparable to the affection bestowed on Didier Drogba. Most importantly - can he motivate his team to the heights they produced against Liverpool on the opening day of the season on a consistent basis.

The answer to date is probably no!

Back to back losses against Manchester United at home and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge have shown me that in spells they have the quality but overall they lack the belief. Only by consistently putting quality performances together can that mystical state be attained and the up-coming schedule couldn't be kinder to the North Londoners in that regard. Portsmouth (a), Stoke (h), Arsenal (a), Sunderland (h), Wigan (h), Villa (a), Everton (a), Wolves (h), Man City (h), Blackburn (a).

30 points on offer - what would a United, a Chelsea, a Liverpool consider adequate? At a minimum, 24-25 points would be considered a decent return and even then, Sir Alex would probably have a moan! For Tottenham, this has to be a realistic target and there cannot be a Spurs fan alive that doesn't agree with that assessment.

After seven league matches of this campaign there are plenty of reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Under Redknapp, the ninth, that's right, the ninth manager of this decade, Spurs are finally playing the kind of champagne football that they've so long been associated with. I'm tempted to wonder if Harry has had the old-Spurs captain, Danny Blanchflower's, famous quote inscribed in the dressing room as an inspiration to his players -"Football is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom"

Boredom is not something you'll experience with this current Spurs XI as the goals are flowing in both directions and only Liverpool fans enjoy a higher aggregate per match in the elite division! The key for Harry has been the ability to pick a settled team as eight of his first teamers have been ever present to date, a far cry from last season when Redknapp joined the team from Portsmouth and his injury list resembled a MASH unit. In fact the riches at his disposal have enabled him to build one of the finest squads not just in England but in world football however doubts persists as to whether this is a club capable of making the leap from pretenders to contenders.

When I look at the characters within the team, I see superb footballers but I don't see players that I'd take to war with me. Perhaps over the course of a season, Redknapp, who has never been short of belief, will by osmosis give his charges the right stuff. If he does, look for Tottenham to finally attain 'big club' status.

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.

Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

I'm tempted to ask Liverpool boss, Rafa Benitez, what he's thinking when it comes to his team defending set pieces. Since the Spaniard moved from Valencia to Anfield, the major Achilles heel has been their inability to stop the one play in football that has an air of predictability about it.

To date Liverpool has conceded goals on set plays against Tottenham, Aston Villa, Bolton and most recently, West Ham. Twice it has cost them victories and when you consider that the Merseysiders only lost two league matches all last season, this has got to be a tactical consideration that must be addressed especially as the club moves into European play.

Benitez believes in zonal marking at set plays and he also doesn't position players on the posts at corners. His defensive leaders, Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel are supposedly taking charge of the penalty area and yet opposing player's week-after-week are finding space and seams to create havoc and to score goals. Surely by now, it must be obvious to Benitez that he should use the tried and test method of man-to-man marking. It doesn't get any simpler - there is your man, stop him from getting to the ball, end of story and the end of Liverpool defenders looking at each other wondering what happened as once again the ball ends up in the back of the net. In all honesty I'm surprised that the likes of Steven Gerrard and Carragher, senior players, haven't yet said 'boss, we need to change the system.'

There is a major hurdle to cross if this is to happen because if Rafa were to climb down it would entail eating a not so small portion of humble pie. The Spaniard is way too stubborn to admit failure in this department though, so Liverpool will soldier on and continue to put themselves in danger of losing matches they should win comfortably.

With a thrilling victory over West Ham on Saturday, Benitez will point to the table and say that the assembled media corps that they should focus on the result - good point - but this is yet another victory that I believe papers over cracks. Liverpool has not looked 100% defensively or offensively this season.

In the back line I applaud the attacking verve of Glenn Johnson and Emiliano Insua but isn't their first job is to defend. I admire the never-say-die spirit of Jamie Carragher but against pace he's looking increasingly past it. I like the steel of Martin Skrtel but I am constantly reminded of the grace and consistency of an Alan Hansen - the return of Danny Agger cannot come soon enough. As for Pepe Reina, at times he's flapping about like a bird learning how to fly - not a back-four confidence booster!

At the other end of the pitch, sixteen goals is a healthy return however when you delve a little deeper there is a frightening lack of center forward fire power once you get past Fernando Torres. The Spanish hit man is currently the most electrifying forward in world football but and I better whisper this...'what if he gets injured and who replaces him?' Ryan Babbel - I'm quaking, David Ngog - I'm trembling, Andrei Voronin, I've gone positively weak at the knees. It'll be interesting to see what Benitez has up his sleeve with the fabled 'Plan B.'

Red fans will point to the emergence of Yossi Benayoun (never a Benitez favorite) and Dirk Kuyt as goal scorers but I think that they're getting more opportunities as clubs focus more of their resources on stopping Steven Gerrard. Like Torres it's tempting to ask...'what happens if'

As for the Liverpool bench, it is so completely underwhelming, I'm almost embarrassed for the club when the substitutes names appear on the team sheet compared to other members of the 'B4'. Whether Alberto Aquilani can give the impression of more depth remains to be seen and I wouldn't be surprised if Benitez made some moves in January.

For the time being though, third place in the Premiership is a position from which they can build but with nineteen years of frustration stinking up Anfield, one wonders if Einstein's quote will someday replace 'you'll never walk alone' as Liverpool's motto.

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.