English Premier League, Weekend Review: Liverpool's Defeat of Manchester United Loosens Red Devils' Grip On League

Just as it looked as though Manchester United had all but wrapped up the title race after spending the bulk of the season unbeaten they've lost consecutive league matches for the first time since March of 2009. The Red Devils are still top of the league and the crown is theirs to lose, but with ten games remaining Arsenal are now just three points behind with a game in hand.

It was an afternoon to forget for Alex Ferguson's side, with Dirk Kuyt's hat-trick (the first for a Liverpool player against Manchester United since Peter Beardsley managed the feat in 1990) more than enough for Liverpool to coast to victory. While Kuyt might have tallied the goals Luis Suarez was every bit as much the hero, creating the first almost out of thin air and sending in a wicked cross that Nani inadvertently flicked on to Kuyt for the second, handing Liverpool a 2-0 lead fewer than 40 minutes in. Kuyt added the third 65 minutes in, the result of a Suarez free kick, and with it erased all doubt. United's only goal came from Javier Hernandez in injury time but it did little to erase the disappointment of the Red Devils who were outclassed in every facet of the game. It was clear from the outset that United were in for a struggle without their regular central defensive pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and Liverpool did their best to unsettle stand-ins Wes Brown and Chris Smalling by going on the offensive early on and by the look of things, the strategy worked.

Despite the lopsided score line the game was not without controversy (as is typically the case where this fixture is concerned.) Jamie Carragher (who was forced to shift from central defense to the right back position after Fabio Aurellio left with an injury midway through the first half) slid in high and late on Nani, opening up a huge gash on the winger's leg and sparking a heated exchange between the two sides. Replays of the incident (as well as gruesome closeups of the injury making their rounds on the internet) showed that Liverpool were probably quite lucky that Carragher was given only a yellow card. Shortly after Carragher's tackle United defender Rafael was booked for a similarly horrific challenge that luckily missed Lucas. Had the Liverpool midfielder been unable to get out of the way the odds are good United would have been down to ten men which would have at least given offered some excuse for the side's poor display.

United's loss will give some comfort to Arsenal who were unable to take more than a point against Sunderland at home. A United victory would have given the leaders a bit of breathing room, but instead it was the Gunners that gained on the competition which will give them some comfort after a lackluster display. Still, Arsenal will likely be disappointed at their inability to fully capitalize on the opportunity to close the gap on United as three points were certainly theirs for the taking against a somewhat sloppy and definitely less-than-their-best Sunderland side. As disappointing as the result must have been for Arsenal, the Black Cats must certainly have felt a sense of relief at leaving the Emirates with a point; despite Arsenal's unimpressive display the Gunners were gifted several quality chances by Sunderland but were unable to capitalize. The draw keeps Sunderland with an outside chance for qualification to the Europa League, though their chances won't be done many favors by similar performances in the future.

In another game with European implications, Tottenham stumbled to one of the more disappointing results of the weekend, a 3-3 draw at Molineaux. Wolverhampton continue to live up to their reputation as a thorn in the side of clubs at the top of the table with Steven Fletcher nabbing a late equalizer to stun Spurs and keep his club within sight of safety. Kevin Doyle put Wolves ahead with 20 minutes gone, but two Jermain Defoe goals within the space of five minutes put Spurs ahead. The lead wouldn't last though, as Kevin Doyle drew Wolves level after a clear-cut penalty was won by Nenad Milijas. The see-saw proceedings tipped Spurs way once again when Roman Pavlyuchenko fired in a wicked shot just after the second half began, putting Spurs ahead for the second time.

It looked as though things would stay that way with Spurs grabbing a much-needed three points and Wolves continuing to tread water at the bottom of the table, but Fletcher had other ideas. The young striker was brought in for Adam Hammill in the 73rd minute and on a day filled with excellent goals and ambitious near-misses, the biggest moment ended up being a pedestrian header by Fletcher from an equally unspectacular cross by Matt Jarvis. It was further proof if any were needed that a workmanlike goal at the right moment can pack all of the emotional punch of a highlight-reel stunner. A massive disappointment for Tottenham who know find themselves three points behind Chelsea for the final spot in the Champions League while Wolves will be thrilled to take something from a game which most would have likely expected them to come away empty handed.

The aforementioned Chelsea had no such struggles with Blackpool this afternoon as the Blues left Bloomfield Road with a 3-1 victory over the Tangerines. Chelsea's mid-season slump almost certainly cost them any chance at the league but the side has looked in vintage form of late. John Terry nabbed the opener from Frank Lampard's corner in the 20th minute while Lampard himself nabbed Chelsea's other two, the second a penalty won Salomon Kalou and the third an easy finish from inside the box created in part by Kalou. Jason Puncheon saved a bit of face for Blackpool with a late goal but Chelsea were dominant in this one and look to be heating up at the right time with the knock-out rounds of the Champions League in full swing. The win gives Chelsea 51 points on the year, likely too large a gap to catch up with both United and Arsenal but just two points shy of third place Manchester City.

That very nearly wasn't the case however, as Manchester City had to depend on goalkeeping blunder by Ali Al Habsi, who allowed what should have been a harmless effort from David Silva to dribble through his legs,  to see off a determined Wigan side at the Eastlands. Wigan dominated possession, outshot Manchester City by a margin of 12-7 and were on the receiving end of twice as many fouls as they committed but in the end City's superior quality was too much for Roberto Martinez's side to overcome. Mancini famously remarked that he would "prefer now that we are boring for two to three games and we win 1-0" not too long ago, and of all the things you could say about him, it would be difficult to call him a liar.

On the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum, Bolton and Aston Villa contested an absolute cracker at the Reebok, Bolton twice overcoming Villa leads to escape with a thrilling 3-2 victory. It was an end-to-end affair, and though Villa were generally the better side the familiar story of poor finishing (though partially from the unfamiliar source of Darren Bent who missed two sitters on the afternoon) and even poorer set piece defending will continue to haunt Gerard Houllier's men. Bolton meanwhile grab a huge three points, keeping their noses ahead of Liverpool and Tottenham just in reach in fifth place with a determined effort. Despite the fact that Villa have only themselves to blame for losing (and most likely for not taking all three) it would be unfair to say that the victory was less than deserved for Bolton and the sides evolution from lower-mid table longball mediocrity to shockingly fun to watch upper table newcomers continues to be one of the season's best.

On the subject of feel-good stories, the fairy dust sprinkled over Birmingham City appears to have worn off as the Carling Cup winners were trounced at St. Andrews 1-3 by local rivals West Brom. The loss pulled West Brom out of the relegation zone and knocked Birmingham down into it and England is now faced with the very real possibility of sending a team down to the second tier and Europe in the same season. In other games with implications on the relegation battle, West Ham continued their run of good form with a 3-0 trouncing of Stoke City, pulling them out of the bottom three and putting Stoke's chances of a top-half finish in serious doubt. Bobby Zamora's questionable penalty in the 89th minute gave Fulham a 3-2 victory in a game that somehow saw Fulham and Blackburn play a moderately entertaining game of football. There would be no such foolishness at St. James Park however, as an efficient effort from Everton saw them to a 2-1 victory in a game that mattered to no one outside of the players, staff and fans of the teams involved. 

The fact that such a game as that between Newcastle and Everton, with no implication on any of the four separate positional battles in the league (those being the title race, the Champions League places, the Europa League places and the relegation fight) is evidence that there finally does seem to be some real stratification going on in the Premier League. Barring dual collapses there are only two teams at the top with any real shot at the crown, five times in a realistic position to finish top four and three or four beyond those with hope of Europe in any form. Things are tighter where points are concerned near the bottom, but it's difficult to picture one of Fulham, Stoke, Blackburn or Aston Villa going down given the clubs below them.

The Premier League takes a week off next week with the spotlight falling on the FA Cup and in particular the clash between Manchester United and Arsenal. The following week has several matches with massive implications on both the top and bottom of the table however, most notably Manchester City's trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea. But for now, we're left wanting. Or we're watching Serie A. Or La Liga. Or the Bundesliga. Man, the internet is awesome.