Liverpool routed Premier League leader Manchester United 4-1 on Saturday, coming from behind to re-ignite its faltering title chase with its biggest win at Old Trafford in 73 years.
Captain Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool the lead for good just before halftime after Fernando Torres had canceled out Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty for United.
"It was magnificent, a great team performance," Gerrard said. "From front to back we worked very hard today, showed great character after going a goal down and it was a magnificent win."
The Reds' first win at their fiercest rivals in five years _ and manager Rafa Benitez's first _ was completed by goals from Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena in the last 15 minutes.
The title holders' miserable afternoon was compounded when defender Nemanja Vidic was sent off for the second time this season against Liverpool.
"We are in a better position, we have more belief and confidence," Benitez said. "But we now have to win every game."
Despite completing a first league double over Man United in seven seasons, Liverpool remains four points adrift having played an extra match.
"I am realistic. We need to be consistent now and not make mistakes," said Benitez, whose 100th league win followed a 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
This was United's heaviest home defeat since another 4-1 loss in 1992 against Queens Park Rangers, when Alex Ferguson's side threw away the title to Leeds.
"It's a hard one to take, particularly because I thought we were the better team," Ferguson said. "We have to accept it was a bad day in terms of the goals we lost, but I couldn't fault the display that much."
Lacking the depth of United's squad, the prospect of Liverpool inflicting the Red Devils' first league loss since November and ending an 11-match winning streak _ especially in such convincing fashion _ seemed unlikely.
Benitez was forced to reshuffle the defense before kickoff, when Alvaro Arbeloa was injured in the warmup. Sami Hyypia came in at center back, with Jamie Carragher shifting to the right _ and the backline was immediately busy containing a high tempo United start.
But Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina was not called upon until the 23rd minute when striker Carlos Tevez _ surprisingly favored over Dimitar Berbatov _ released Park Ji-sung with a crisp ball between Hyypia and Carragher.
Reina came off his line and tripped the South Korea midfielder. Benitez, who complained in January that referees always favor United, saw Ronaldo bury his 16th goal of the season from the penalty spot.
Torres, who required a painkilling injection to play Tuesday, looked in trouble after 27 minutes, pulling up seemingly injured, but he defied any discomfort to level inside a minute later.
A powerful ball was launched from the Liverpool defense by Martin Skrtel which bounced past Vidic, allowing Torres to steal it and race forward to slot past goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
"He was painful at the end of the game," Benitez said. "But it was the most important game of the rest of the season in the league."
The Spain striker was decisive in the second goal. Torres sent Gerrard through with a defense-splitting pass, but the England midfielder was brought down by Evra just inside area.
Gerrard tucked the resulting penalty kick beyond the Dutch goalkeeper, who last conceded twice in the league at Arsenal in November.
"To score a goal for the first time here after all the stick from United fans over the last 10 years was great," said Gerrard, who celebrated his strike by kissing a TV camera. "And it was nice to rub it in a bit."
Ferguson made a trio of changes with 15 minutes to go, with veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes coming on with Berbatov. But any hopes of a comeback were wiped out when Vidic received a straight red card for dragging down Gerrard.
Aurelio bamboozled Van der Sar with a curling, dipping drive from the resulting free kick.
In the fourth minute of injury time, Reina launched the ball forward and Dossena outmuscled John O'Shea before lobbing the stranded Van der Sar.
