Liverpool followed up their midweek league triumph over Arsenal with another big time scalp when they ended Manchester United’s hopes of a cup double.
Peter Crouch’s first half header was enough to win this fiercely competitive FA Cup fifth round tie, the first time Liverpool have beaten United in the competition for 85 years.
It was manager Rafael Benitez’s first success over Liverpool’s bitterest enemy since he took over at Anfield, and his men held out against a furious late United onslaught, the visitors losing substitute Alan Smith with what looked like a broken ankle in injury time.
Smith’s left ankle buckled underneath him as he tried to block a shot from a Liverpool free-kick and was clearly in severe pain as he was carried off on a stretcher.
The match was built-up as United captain Gary Neville’s worst nightmare on his 31st birthday, but, apart from a late booking, the England man handled the ordeal with solid professionalism.
Neville’s first touch was met with a deluge of booing before Harry Kewell should have been booked for a third-minute foul on the United skipper. Kewell made one attempt to knock him off the ball and then after a pass had been played down the line, the Aussie bowled Neville over the line and onto the track. Referee Howard Webb gave Kewell a talking to with United’s bench raging.
On 18 minutes Liverpool’s constant aerial assault almost saw Liverpool take the lead. Steven Gerrard’s free-kick was met by a Kewell flick that Van der Sar superbly turned away at full stretch.
But from the resulting corner, Liverpool were ahead. Gerrard’s corner was played short to Steve Finnan and when the swirling cross arrived in the box, Crouch rose with a towering header that Van der Sar reached but could only push onto a post before the ball rolled into the net. Cue Kop hysteria.
That made Crouch the first Liverpool striker to score in 2006, his last being on News Year’s Eve against West Brom.
United could not get themselves out of the stranglehold Liverpool had them in with their array of long balls, and Giggs was booked for a wild lunge at the back of Kewell’s legs on 33 minutes.
TV replays suggested the challenge was in the box, but referee Webb deemed it a foot outside and from Gerrard’s free-kick, an unmarked Finnan squandered a good chance by cracking a shot into the side netting.
United took of Mikael Silvestre at the break and sent on Louis Saha up front. Keiron Richardson dropped to left back and the visitors had a more balanced 4-4-2 look about them.
Crouch almost poached a second on 50 minutes when he took advantage of indecision between Van der Sar and Vidic to stick out a foot and deflect the ball just wide of a post.
Crouch needed six stitches in a head wound before the Kop were delighted when Neville was booked on 73 minutes for a foul on Kewell. Vidic soon followed for bringing down Luis Garcia. United replaced Darren Fletcher with Smith before the free-kick could be taken.
On 78 minutes, Kewell was booked for a retaliatory foul on Neville and Ruud van Nistelrooy set up Giggs for a 20 yarder just over the angle.
Liverpool sent on the more defensive Jan Kromkamp for Kewell eight minutes from time and referee Webb pointedly signalled to his fourth officials that objects were being thrown at Neville, who looked to be picking up coins around him. Djibril Cisse replaced Crouch on 88 minutes.
With a minute left Smith suffered his unfortunate injury and Park Ji-Sung replaced him. Seven minutes of injury time were signalled but United never threatened an equaliser.
