Manchester United's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy (L) jumps for the ball with Liverpool's Croatian midfielder Igor Biscan (R) in the English premier league soccer match at Anfield, Liverpool, November 9, 2003. [Reuters]

Manchester United showed their Champions League pedigree in a 2-1 win at Anfield to claim a third successive Premiership success over a Liverpool side now floundering in mid-table.

Two goals from Ryan Giggs did the job in a 12-minute second-half spell, and although Harry Kewell pulled one back, the champions had shown Liverpool what the winning business is all about.

United's fans taunted their bitter rivals with "14 years and still no title" and "Champions League, you're having a laugh".

But nobody at Anfield is laughing after losing at home now to all three of the top clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea and now their bitterest rivals.

Liverpool controlled if not punished in the first half, but when it mattered Roy Keane was a giant in midfield and United upped the tempo and grabbed the points.

There was no Michael Owen when he failed to make a good enough recovery from his ankle injury to even make the 16-man squad.

It meant Liverpool's only change from the energy-sapping slog through the Bucharest mud on Thursday in the UEFA Cup was the return of Vladimir Smicer on the left of midfield in place of John Arne Riise.

Manchester United, who completed a league double over their Anfield foes last season, left the more unpredictable skills of Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench and included John O'Shea.

The first half was a bitter disappointment. Two sides who respected each other too much rarely got close enough to the whites of each others' eyes to produce the rip-roaring clash this fixture usually produced.

Liverpool had plenty of early pressure but did not give Tim Howard a shot to save, just a hasty snap shot over from Smicer and a couple of efforts from Harry Kewell, one a dipping 20-yard volley.

United were happy to sit deep and let Liverpool attack them, El-Hadji Diouf getting to the line on both left and right flanks, but when the champions broke it was quick, effective and kept Sami Hyypia and Igor Biscan on their toes.

But for all their possession Liverpool were not moving it around quickly enough to drag United out of their shell, the visitors' midfield happily defending 10 yards inside their half and picking off inaccurate passes with ease.

The pace quickened from both sides after the break, Kewell forcing Howard into a leaping save at one end while Djimi Traore's leaping clearance stopped Forlan's cross reaching Van Nistelrooy.

Then Dudek brought back memories of last season's howlers when he cleared poorly on the left of his box. The ball found Ryan Giggs, some 40 yards out, and the Welshman's instant drive back was goalbound had not Dudek somehow managed to hurl himself back across goal to get a glove in the way.

The breakthrough, when it came, was somewhat fortunate. On 57 minutes Giggs swung over an angled cross which Van Nistelrooy attacked with a run across Dudek, but he did not get a touch and the ball sailed straight into the far corner of the net.

Liverpool brought on Florent Sinama-Pongolle five minutes later in place of Smicer, but United were pressing now from all angles.

Roy Keane and Phil Neville were winning the midfield and pressuring Steven Gerrard and Danny Murphy into errors.

And on 69 minutes it looked all over. Forlan crossed from the left, Van Nistelrooy missed it and Giggs, unmarked on the right of the box, had time to control the ball and lash it past an unprotected Dudek.

Anthony Le Tallec immediately replaced Diouf, and with both French teenagers on the pitch, Liverpool found some fight, and on 75 minutes they pulled one back.

Pongolle's clever overhead kick from the bye-line was neatly side-footed home by Kewell.

Then Pongolle got through the middle and went down in the area but referee Graham Poll rightly waved away appeals for a penalty with no contact made.

Murphy created a gilt-edged chance for Heskey in injury time, but the striker fell and managed only a faint connection, the ball slipping wide and and United were home and dry.

Houllier bemoans ref's decision

Gerard Houllier insisted Liverpool were denied a late penalty which would have saved them from defeat at Anfield against bitter rivals Manchester United.

Houllier was adamant his side deserved a draw and claimed: 'We should have had that penalty, although I am not blaming referee Graham Poll. He was probably seeing it from a different angle, but I have now seen it on TV and it is clear to me. At Old Trafford, I feel it would have been a penalty.'

Houllier refused to blame his players for not protesting. He said: 'I do not like my players chasing referees, it means they lose concentration. And he is not going to change his mind, Mr. Poll obviously saw it differently.'

Liverpool went into the match without talisman Michael Owen and his absence proved telling as they failed to convert a series of chances late in the game.

Star striker Owen is still troubled by the ankle injury which forced him out of Thursday's UEFA Cup clash with Steaua Bucharest and now looks certain to miss England's friendly with Denmark next week.

Houllier revealed: 'He could feel his ankle again and decided not to take part. He would not play if not 100% fit. I don't think he can take part in the international game.'

The Liverpool boss hopes to have Owen back for the trip to Middlesbrough on November 22, but believes his squad's energy-sapping UEFA Cup battle in the mud of Bucharest earlier in the week contributed their defeat today.

He said: 'I felt that because of the game and long journey home that we would have some sort of dip in the match. We should have made more use of the first half when we were on top.

'But when we did dip, they scored twice, although I felt the defence and goalkeeper could have done better to deal with the first one. My only regret is that we had to play a very difficult game in difficult conditions in Europe and then had just two days to recover.

'Manchester United played their European game on Tuesday.'

Houllier admitted to 'great frustration' when Emile Heskey mis-hit a last seconds chance of an equaliser.

He said: 'I do not want to blame Emile. He had sacrificed himself, battled for 90 minutes in Bucharest and it had been very demanding and difficult for him.

'Maybe he was just a bit tired at the end, even though I felt a draw was a fair result.'

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Liverpool were the better side in the opening 45 minutes.

'They put everything into that first half, they were better than us in that first half,' he said. 'It made it all very exciting and it is a pleasure to be involved in these sort of games.

'They played with a conviction that we did not match. We lacked confidence for some reason, maybe because their good start put us on the back foot.

'But in the second period we were more like our real selves, we got 2-0 in front, but then Liverpool started playing well again. It meant a nail biting finish.'

Houllier felt his side did not deserve to lose. He added: 'We did not deserve that, but then Everton suffered the same way against Chelsea last week, it is such a fine line between success and failure.

'But afterwards I told my lads what I will tell everyone, and that is that we are definitely going somewhere, definitely. Our game has changed and I will not compromise with the game that we play.

'We go forward, we create chances, but we did not finish properly and lacked a bit of spark after the Thursday match. I still liked the response, we found a second wind and created chances.'

United match-winner Ryan Giggs admitted his side were made to work for the full 90 minutes.

Giggs told Sky Sports: 'We had to fight until the end. We know their fans demand they keep going for 90 minutes and they could have had an equaliser at the end, but it was a great save by Tim (Howard).

'We didn't perform in the first half, we didn't keep the ball enough, but we came back.'

Both Giggs' goals came from the right, rather than from his more accustomed place on the left and he enjoyed playing in the position.

The Wales international added: 'It gives me the opportunity to cut in more on my favoured left foot. I was happy with the goals. It is always important when the others play on Saturday and we're playing on Sunday to get a result.'

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