Manchester United against Liverpool

Good scrambling defence from Liverpool sees them clear the danger, though United maintain the pressure.

The United fans are off their seats as their side win a corner. Giggs trots over to the right to take the set-piece...

Liverpool prepare to make another change, with new signing Kronkamp stripping down on the touchline.

SO CLOSE! Rooney blasts a low right-foot shot just a foot wide of the far post from 30 yards out. Great effort from the 20-year-old United star.

SHOT! Van Nistelrooy spins his man on the edge of the penalty area and curls a left-foot shot in on goal, but Reina is positioned perfectly to catch in front of his face.

The ball is curled in to the middle, flicked on, but Saha can't keep it in play with an over-head kick at the far post.

Alonso is booked for pulling back Giggs after the winger had weaved inside two challenges and got to the edge of the area. Dangerous spot for a free-kick...

SHOT! Kewell cuts inside from his position on the left wing, but his right-foot shot from the corner of the penalty area flies horribly wide.

Rooney is caught off-side as he tried to get on the end of Fletcher's header back in to the Liverpool penalty area.

Hyypia and Riise conbine to clear for a throw after Rooney had sprinted on to Saha's knock-down and tried to burst in to the penalty area.

Sven-Goran Eriksson is spotted leaving his seat and disappearing down an exit. He obviously doesn't believe there will be a winning goal here.

The Liverpool fans attempt to taunt the United supporters by reminding them how many times they have won the Championship - a record 18 times. Not since 1990, though...

Liverpool win the second corner of the match when Ferdinand is forced to put the ball behind as Sinama-Pongolle ran at him down the right.

Ferdinand stays calm to control a firmly-struck pass from Brown and knock the ball back to Van Der Sar to clear.

Chelsea, of course, will be very happy with a draw here at Old Tafford, following their surprise 1-1 result at home against Chartlon earlier in the day.

The pace of the game has just dropped in the last ten minutes or so as both sides prepare for the final push towards victory.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Cisse is replaced by Sinama-Pongolle. Not a good afternoon for Cisse.

Great skill from Rooney as he turns Carragher and sets off towards goal, though the Liverpool defence recover and shepherd the ball back to Reina.

Evra spots the danger and puts the ball out for the first corner of the match after Kewell had sent a cross in to the middle.

Kewell does very well to bring down a lofted pass from Gerrard, but Neville stands up and makes a good tackle.

Evra is left rolling around on the turf after Gerrard flies in and makes a strong challenge on the touchline.

Rooney seems to have picked up a slight leg injury; a few times in the last couple of minutes, he has flexed his leg and grimaced.

Sissoko rather scuffs a clearance straight to a United midfielder, putting his side under a little more pressure. United have had the best of the last five minutes or so.

Giggs' cross from the right proves very awkward for the Liverpool defence; Reina clatters in to his own post, and Carragher slips over, but thanfully for the visitors the ball drifts out of play.

The second half has really opened up now, and both sides seem to have decided to push for the three points rather than just settle for one.

ALMOST! United finally manage to get some bodies inside the Liverpool box. Fletcher gets to the by-line and pulls the ball back to the near post, but Reina bravely collects.

A quick update on the Crouch substitution: it wasn't a tactical decision from Benitez; Crouch had picked up a dead-leg and needed to be brought off.

INCREDIBLE MISS! Just seconds after Ferdinand clears off his own line, Van Der Sar's save falls at the feet of Cisse, fout yards out, but the striker incredibly blasts over the crossbar.

OFF THE LINE! A quick throw causes confusion inside the United penalty area, and Ferdinand is forced to hook the ball off his own line.

Liverpool are certainly playing the better at the moment, and United need to establish some sort of grip in midfield if they are to stop the pressure building.

United seemt to almost be playing with five men in midfield at the moment as they try to get themselves a foothold in this second half.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Crouch off, Morientes. A strange change by the Liverpool boss; Cisse has had a shocker, but it is Crouch who is replaced.

Rooney launches a one-man counter-attack; he skips past two Liverpool challenges as he powers down the right channel, but his attempted pass inside to Van Nistelrooy is intercepted.

Liverpool win a free-kick in a very dangerous spot, but Riise's shot is blocked by the United warm.

Liverpool seem unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty after Crouch brings the ball down in the area and has his shirt tugged by Ferdinand.

Liverpool appear to be preparing to make their first change of the afternoon, with Morientes warming up on the touchline.

Gerrard whips in a free-kick from the right, but Brown heads clear inside a crowded penalty area.

Again, Liverpool have started the better from the kick-off; they are winning most of the 50-50s in midfield and beginning to put a little pressure on the home goal.

Ferguson is out of his dugout and prowling around his technical area, trying to get some instructions out to his team.

If Liverpool boss Benitez is looking to make a change to his side, he will surely be considering Cisse, who has had a dreadful afternoon.

Cisse is forced to go alone when he picks up a pass down the touchline from Kewell; he sticks his head down and runs at three United defenders, but is easily robbed of possession.

Giggs is down on the turf after he is caught by Sissoko. No booking for the Liverpool man, and Giggs is soon back on his feet.

Cisse tries an ambitious trick to beat Brown, but the United defender stands firm and robs him of the ball.

Crouch does well to take down a high ball and run at the United defence, but Fletcher sticks with his man and puts in a good tackle.

Van Nistelrooy is frustrated when the referee rules he clips the heels of Crouch in midfield.

We are told that O'Shea was substituted because of a rib injury he sustained in the first period. The injury problems are mounting up for United.

Good skill from Sissoko draws a foul from Evra on the halfway line. A poor free-kick from Carragher gives possession back to United.

United kick off the second half. The home side have had to change it around following their half-time substitution. It looks like Rooney has been moved to the right wing.

UNITED SUB: O'Shea is replaced by Saha. An attacking change at the break from Sir Alex Ferguson as he tries to add some more spice to his attack.

HALF-TIME: A very tight half, contested mainly in a congested and tough-tackling midfield.

SHOT! Giggs brilliantly lifts a pass over the top of the defence to Van Nistelrooy, but from a tight angle, the Dutch poacher can only shoot straight at Reina.

Cisse is brought down by Brown. Free-kick, just inside the United half, but the home side get organised quickly enough to ensure there is no real danger.

Neville and Ferdinand show their frustration as good pressing from Liverpool forces the right-back to play the ball back to Van Der Sar.

OFF-SIDE: Rooney cleverly flicks forward O'Shea's pass, but Van Nistelrooy is caught a couple of yards off-side as he sprints on to the ball.

Van Nistelrooy just can't take advantage of a slight moment of confusion between Hyypia and Reina. Goal-kick to the visitors.

Cisse is having something of a nightmare; he is consistently giving the ball away, and just doesn't seem on the same wavelength as the rest of his team-mates.

Liverpool seem to have targetted Evra's ability in the air; they are sending a lot of balls out to that flank, though United's new signing has coped fairly well so far.

Crouch puts Van Der Sar under pressure and forces the United keeper to put a routine clearance out for a Liverpool throw.

Good, calm defending from Hyypia as he nods a threatening cross from Fletcher back to Reina.

GREAT BLOCK! Crouch gets on the end of Cisse's knock-down inside the penalty area, but his right-foot shot from a tight angle is blocked by a flying Brown.

Alonso needs some treatment after he puts in a brave tackle on Evra just outside his penalty area. Good work by the Liverpool midfielder.

Reina again comes a long way to punch clear a deep cross in to the penalty area. Again, it is proved a good decision by the Spanish keeper as he clears the danger.

GREAT BALL! A superb pass from Gerrard finds Cisse inside the penalty area, but he misses the ball as he tries to flick it past an advancing Van Der Sar.

It has been tough for the four front men to get in to the game, as most of the action has been competed in midfield. Rooney is the only one of the four who is coming deep to collect the ball.

It has been a hard-fought and interesting first half-hour, but there neither goalkeeper has been forced in to a save as yet; there has been little in the way of goalmouth action.

Gerrard does well to beat two players, 25 yards out. He tries to feed a through-ball in to Cisse, but the Frenchman doesn't spot the chance and Van Der Sar collects.

Liverpool made the better start to the game, but United are now right back in it; they are starting to compete a lot more in midfield, which is the key area in this match.

Reina does well to punch clear a danger cross as Fletcher jumped high to put him under pressure just inside the penalty box.

Gerrard narrowly escapes a booking for catching Rooney in midfield. The United youngster has come in for some rough treatment so far this afternoon.

Evra, after a slightly wobbly start, has started to find his feet at left-back for United. He's up against Gerrard, so will need to remain on his toes.

Sissoko is pushed in the back by Giggs. Free-kick, and a chance to loft the ball in to the middle towards Crouch.

Rooney runs at the heart of the Liverpool defence after a good advantage from the referee. He powers past a couple of challenges, but fails to spot the run of Fletcher outside him and eventually loses the ball.

There is still a fantastic atmosphere inside the ground; this is a fixture that really gets both sets of fans excited.

More good defensive work from Rooney as he tracks back and blocks Riise's attempt to beat him on the Liverpool left.

Just a quick note about today's referee, Mike Riley: he has awarded Manchester United eight penalties in his last nine visits to Old Trafford...

Carragher is in strongly on Rooney, and is perhaps fortunate to escape a booking. The referee has a quiet word with the Liverpool defender as play restarts.

Sissoko and Richardson square-up after the United youngster left a foot in after a tackle. Richardson shoves Sissoko in the chest, right in front of the referee. For some reason, both players are shown yellow.

Liverpool started this game just one point behind Manchester United, but with two games in hand; a victory here for the Mersysiders would really put them in a great position to take second place this year.

Crouch does well to bring the ball down in midfield, though his attempted pass over the top of Ferdinand to exploit Cisse's pace is easily intercepted.

A terrible pass from Sissoko puts his side under pressure; attempting to find Finnan with a simple pass, he hammers the ball well out of play to give United a throw deep in Liverpool territory.

Liverpool have started the better side here at Old Trafford; they look so much stronger in midfield, and Crouch is already causing a problem or two for Ferdinand and Brown.

Rooney shows good defensive awareness to track Riise's run and slide-tackle the Norwegian down near his own corner flag.

Finnan is forced to make a good block on his own penalty spot after Giggs came in from the far side and attempted to volley home Fletcher's cross.

Kewell is back on the pitch, with cotton buds stuck up his nose to try and stem the flow of blood. He looks a little like a child attempting to immitate a walrus.

Crouch, perhaps not surprisingly considering his height advantage, is winning a lot of balls in the air; United will need to make sure they concentrate on winning the crucial 'second ball'.

Kewell needs some treatment after taking a knock to the head in the challenge with Evra. He has some blood coming from his nose, and will need a change of shirt before he can return to action.

SHOT! Kewell out-jumps Evra in midfield; Gerrard sprints on to the loose ball and drives a shot in on goal, but he doesn't test Van Der Sar and the ball flies wide of the far post.

United have a young midfield out this afternoon, with Fletcher, Richardson and O'Shea. Liverpool will be hoping to take advantage of that.

Hyypia spreads a great ball out to the left wing, but Cisse's control lets him down.

Gerrard bursts on to a pass from Cisse, though Richardson does well to intercept as the Liverpool skipper tries to return the ball.

WOEFUL! Cisse, sporting a ridiculous new hair-style, has the game's first shot, a speculative effort from 25 yards that he drags well, well wide.

Hyypia has to be on his toes to clear as Rooney tries to beat him on the edge of the Liverpool box.

Crouch and Brown compete for a high ball, lofted towards the edge of the penalty area by Riise. The referee rules that the Liverpool striker was pushing his opponent, and awards a free-kick.

Liverpool have started the game with quite an attacking 4-4-2 formation, with Cisse partnering Crouch in attack.

Liverpool kick off, to a loud reception at Old Trafford. It's a cold, dry day in Manchester, and the pitch looks in reasonable condition for this stage of the season.

Hi, I'm Alex, and I'm here to guide you through today's Premiership clash between Manchester United and Liverpool.

The pace of the game has just dropped in the last ten minutes or so as both sides prepare for the final push towards victory.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Cisse is replaced by Sinama-Pongolle. Not a good afternoon for Cisse.

Great skill from Rooney as he turns Carragher and sets off towards goal, though the Liverpool defence recover and shepherd the ball back to Reina.

Evra spots the danger and puts the ball out for the first corner of the match after Kewell had sent a cross in to the middle.

Kewell does very well to bring down a lofted pass from Gerrard, but Neville stands up and makes a good tackle.

Evra is left rolling around on the turf after Gerrard flies in and makes a strong challenge on the touchline.

Rooney seems to have picked up a slight leg injury; a few times in the last couple of minutes, he has flexed his leg and grimaced.

Sissoko rather scuffs a clearance straight to a United midfielder, putting his side under a little more pressure. United have had the best of the last five minutes or so.

Giggs' cross from the right proves very awkward for the Liverpool defence; Reina clatters in to his own post, and Carragher slips over, but thanfully for the visitors the ball drifts out of play.

The second half has really opened up now, and both sides seem to have decided to push for the three points rather than just settle for one.

ALMOST! United finally manage to get some bodies inside the Liverpool box. Fletcher gets to the by-line and pulls the ball back to the near post, but Reina bravely collects.

A quick update on the Crouch substitution: it wasn't a tactical decision from Benitez; Crouch had picked up a dead-leg and needed to be brought off.

INCREDIBLE MISS! Just seconds after Ferdinand clears off his own line, Van Der Sar's save falls at the feet of Cisse, fout yards out, but the striker incredibly blasts over the crossbar.

OFF THE LINE! A quick throw causes confusion inside the United penalty area, and Ferdinand is forced to hook the ball off his own line.

Liverpool are certainly playing the better at the moment, and United need to establish some sort of grip in midfield if they are to stop the pressure building.

United seemt to almost be playing with five men in midfield at the moment as they try to get themselves a foothold in this second half.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Crouch off, Morientes. A strange change by the Liverpool boss; Cisse has had a shocker, but it is Crouch who is replaced.

Rooney launches a one-man counter-attack; he skips past two Liverpool challenges as he powers down the right channel, but his attempted pass inside to Van Nistelrooy is intercepted.

Liverpool win a free-kick in a very dangerous spot, but Riise's shot is blocked by the United warm.

Liverpool seem unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty after Crouch brings the ball down in the area and has his shirt tugged by Ferdinand.

Liverpool appear to be preparing to make their first change of the afternoon, with Morientes warming up on the touchline.

Gerrard whips in a free-kick from the right, but Brown heads clear inside a crowded penalty area.

Again, Liverpool have started the better from the kick-off; they are winning most of the 50-50s in midfield and beginning to put a little pressure on the home goal.

Ferguson is out of his dugout and prowling around his technical area, trying to get some instructions out to his team.

If Liverpool boss Benitez is looking to make a change to his side, he will surely be considering Cisse, who has had a dreadful afternoon.

Cisse is forced to go alone when he picks up a pass down the touchline from Kewell; he sticks his head down and runs at three United defenders, but is easily robbed of possession.

Giggs is down on the turf after he is caught by Sissoko. No booking for the Liverpool man, and Giggs is soon back on his feet.

Cisse tries an ambitious trick to beat Brown, but the United defender stands firm and robs him of the ball.

Crouch does well to take down a high ball and run at the United defence, but Fletcher sticks with his man and puts in a good tackle.

Van Nistelrooy is frustrated when the referee rules he clips the heels of Crouch in midfield.

We are told that O'Shea was substituted because of a rib injury he sustained in the first period. The injury problems are mounting up for United.

Good skill from Sissoko draws a foul from Evra on the halfway line. A poor free-kick from Carragher gives possession back to United.

United kick off the second half. The home side have had to change it around following their half-time substitution. It looks like Rooney has been moved to the right wing.

UNITED SUB: O'Shea is replaced by Saha. An attacking change at the break from Sir Alex Ferguson as he tries to add some more spice to his attack.

HALF-TIME: A very tight half, contested mainly in a congested and tough-tackling midfield.

SHOT! Giggs brilliantly lifts a pass over the top of the defence to Van Nistelrooy, but from a tight angle, the Dutch poacher can only shoot straight at Reina.

Cisse is brought down by Brown. Free-kick, just inside the United half, but the home side get organised quickly enough to ensure there is no real danger.

Neville and Ferdinand show their frustration as good pressing from Liverpool forces the right-back to play the ball back to Van Der Sar.

OFF-SIDE: Rooney cleverly flicks forward O'Shea's pass, but Van Nistelrooy is caught a couple of yards off-side as he sprints on to the ball.

Van Nistelrooy just can't take advantage of a slight moment of confusion between Hyypia and Reina. Goal-kick to the visitors.

Cisse is having something of a nightmare; he is consistently giving the ball away, and just doesn't seem on the same wavelength as the rest of his team-mates.

Liverpool seem to have targetted Evra's ability in the air; they are sending a lot of balls out to that flank, though United's new signing has coped fairly well so far.

Crouch puts Van Der Sar under pressure and forces the United keeper to put a routine clearance out for a Liverpool throw.

Good, calm defending from Hyypia as he nods a threatening cross from Fletcher back to Reina.

GREAT BLOCK! Crouch gets on the end of Cisse's knock-down inside the penalty area, but his right-foot shot from a tight angle is blocked by a flying Brown.

Alonso needs some treatment after he puts in a brave tackle on Evra just outside his penalty area. Good work by the Liverpool midfielder.

Reina again comes a long way to punch clear a deep cross in to the penalty area. Again, it is proved a good decision by the Spanish keeper as he clears the danger.

GREAT BALL! A superb pass from Gerrard finds Cisse inside the penalty area, but he misses the ball as he tries to flick it past an advancing Van Der Sar.

It has been tough for the four front men to get in to the game, as most of the action has been competed in midfield. Rooney is the only one of the four who is coming deep to collect the ball.

It has been a hard-fought and interesting first half-hour, but there neither goalkeeper has been forced in to a save as yet; there has been little in the way of goalmouth action.

Gerrard does well to beat two players, 25 yards out. He tries to feed a through-ball in to Cisse, but the Frenchman doesn't spot the chance and Van Der Sar collects.

Liverpool made the better start to the game, but United are now right back in it; they are starting to compete a lot more in midfield, which is the key area in this match.

Reina does well to punch clear a danger cross as Fletcher jumped high to put him under pressure just inside the penalty box.

Gerrard narrowly escapes a booking for catching Rooney in midfield. The United youngster has come in for some rough treatment so far this afternoon.

Evra, after a slightly wobbly start, has started to find his feet at left-back for United. He's up against Gerrard, so will need to remain on his toes.

Sissoko is pushed in the back by Giggs. Free-kick, and a chance to loft the ball in to the middle towards Crouch.

Rooney runs at the heart of the Liverpool defence after a good advantage from the referee. He powers past a couple of challenges, but fails to spot the run of Fletcher outside him and eventually loses the ball.

There is still a fantastic atmosphere inside the ground; this is a fixture that really gets both sets of fans excited.

More good defensive work from Rooney as he tracks back and blocks Riise's attempt to beat him on the Liverpool left.

Just a quick note about today's referee, Mike Riley: he has awarded Manchester United eight penalties in his last nine visits to Old Trafford...

Carragher is in strongly on Rooney, and is perhaps fortunate to escape a booking. The referee has a quiet word with the Liverpool defender as play restarts.

Sissoko and Richardson square-up after the United youngster left a foot in after a tackle. Richardson shoves Sissoko in the chest, right in front of the referee. For some reason, both players are shown yellow.

Liverpool started this game just one point behind Manchester United, but with two games in hand; a victory here for the Mersysiders would really put them in a great position to take second place this year.

Crouch does well to bring the ball down in midfield, though his attempted pass over the top of Ferdinand to exploit Cisse's pace is easily intercepted.

A terrible pass from Sissoko puts his side under pressure; attempting to find Finnan with a simple pass, he hammers the ball well out of play to give United a throw deep in Liverpool territory.

Liverpool have started the better side here at Old Trafford; they look so much stronger in midfield, and Crouch is already causing a problem or two for Ferdinand and Brown.

Rooney shows good defensive awareness to track Riise's run and slide-tackle the Norwegian down near his own corner flag.

Finnan is forced to make a good block on his own penalty spot after Giggs came in from the far side and attempted to volley home Fletcher's cross.

Kewell is back on the pitch, with cotton buds stuck up his nose to try and stem the flow of blood. He looks a little like a child attempting to immitate a walrus.

Crouch, perhaps not surprisingly considering his height advantage, is winning a lot of balls in the air; United will need to make sure they concentrate on winning the crucial 'second ball'.

Kewell needs some treatment after taking a knock to the head in the challenge with Evra. He has some blood coming from his nose, and will need a change of shirt before he can return to action.

SHOT! Kewell out-jumps Evra in midfield; Gerrard sprints on to the loose ball and drives a shot in on goal, but he doesn't test Van Der Sar and the ball flies wide of the far post.

United have a young midfield out this afternoon, with Fletcher, Richardson and O'Shea. Liverpool will be hoping to take advantage of that.

Hyypia spreads a great ball out to the left wing, but Cisse's control lets him down.

Gerrard bursts on to a pass from Cisse, though Richardson does well to intercept as the Liverpool skipper tries to return the ball.

WOEFUL! Cisse, sporting a ridiculous new hair-style, has the game's first shot, a speculative effort from 25 yards that he drags well, well wide.

Hyypia has to be on his toes to clear as Rooney tries to beat him on the edge of the Liverpool box.

Crouch and Brown compete for a high ball, lofted towards the edge of the penalty area by Riise. The referee rules that the Liverpool striker was pushing his opponent, and awards a free-kick.

Liverpool have started the game with quite an attacking 4-4-2 formation, with Cisse partnering Crouch in attack.

Liverpool kick off, to a loud reception at Old Trafford. It's a cold, dry day in Manchester, and the pitch looks in reasonable condition for this stage of the season.

Hi, I'm Alex, and I'm here to guide you through today's Premiership clash between Manchester United and Liverpool.