Kuyt hat-trick blows title race open as Reds sink United

FT: Liverpool 3 Manchester United 1

Dirk Kuyt scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Manchester United 3-1 at Anfield.

On the day when £35m record signing Andy Carroll finally made his long-awaited debut after injury, it was the Dutchman who provided the necessary firepower against their arch-rivals.

Kuyt struck twice in five minutes before the interval before adding his third midway through the second half, before Javier Hernandez headed a late consolation in a typically fiery but entertaining encounter.

While much of the pre-match adulation was given to Carroll it was Liverpool's other January arrival Luis Suarez who actually had the initial job of making his mark.

It almost came within the first two minutes with a Raul Meireles cross from the right which the Uruguay international, slightly wrong-footed, could only poke straight at Edwin van der Sar.

United's first effort at goal came in the 13th minute when Berbatov toe-poked a shot at Jose Reina from the edge of the penalty area.

The Bulgaria international was a lot closer with his next attempt five minutes later, volleying Wayne Rooney's knockdown of Patrice Evra's long free-kick against the outside of Reina's right-hand post.

Action flowed from end to end and Dirk Kuyt, under pressure from Brown, was only inches away from connecting with Meireles' header from Suarez's deep cross.

Liverpool suffered a blow midway through the first half when Aurelio limped off with a hamstring strain and was replaced by Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

That prompted a reshuffle in defence with Carragher moving to right-back and Johnson switching over to the left again.

But before that could even take effect Meireles was on hand to hack off the line a Brown header from Giggs' corner.

The second half began with United, not unexpectedly, having their best spell of pressure as their hosts sat back somewhat.

Giggs' met Rooney's cross with a first-time shot which whistled just over the crossbar to serve as a warning that the game was far from finished.

United seemed to be edging closer to a breakthrough and Meireles had to clear off the line for the second time in the match to prevent Berbatov's close-range header going in while Giggs curled an 18-yard free-kick over.

But the visitors were leaving gaps at the back and when Kuyt put Meireles clean through Van der Sar came to the rescue by palming his angled shot away.

The Dutchman was at fault in the 65th minute, however, when he spilled Suarez's free-kick and compatriot Kuyt knocked in the rebound for the first Liverpool hat-trick against United since Peter Beardsley in September 1990.