MANCHESTER, England — Liverpool routed Premier League leader Manchester United 4-1 on Saturday, coming from behind to revive 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 tied the score following Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty kick for United.
“It was magnificent, a great team performance,” Gerrard said.
The Reds’ first win at United in five years — and manager Rafa Benitez’s first — was put beyond doubt in the last 15 minutes, with goals by Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena as the defending champions were humiliated by their fiercest rival.
This was United’s worst home defeat since a loss by the same score in 1992 against Queens Park Rangers. The club’s miserable afternoon was compounded when defender Nemanja Vidic was ejected for the second time this season against Liverpool.
United is still four points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand. Third-place Chelsea hosts Manchester City on Sunday, hoping to move within four of the leader.
Arsenal jumped into fourth place with a 4-0 victory over Blackburn, with Andrei Arshavin scoring his first goal for the club since he move from Zenit St. Petersburg. The Russian also had a second-minute shot deflect off Blackburn defender Andre Oijer for an own-goal. When his shot in the 87th was blocked by goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Emmanuel Eboue collected the ball to add the third goal.
In other games, sixth-place Everton beat Stoke 3-1; Fulham won 3-1 at Bolton; and Hull and Newcastle tied 1-1. Next-to-last Middlesbrough scored a last minute equalizer to tie Portsmouth 1-1, and Wigan won 2-1 at Sunderland.
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