Soccer:Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish admits his side have some way still to go before they can consistently challenge Manchester United for the Premier League title once again.

The Reds' 3-1 win over their arch-rivals at Anfield dealt a blow to the Old Trafford club's bid for a record-breaking 19th championship, a figure which would take them past the Merseysiders' tally.

But despite the relative ease of victory for the hosts the match was a typically fiery encounter and was not without its flashpoints.

Jamie Carragher was lucky to escape severe punishment for an over-the-top challenge on Nani which resulted in the Portugal international leaving the field on a stretcher with a gash several inches long on his right shin.

Senior United officials were raging at the decision of referee Phil Dowd to only book the former England star, even if Alex Ferguson's opinions remain unknown after he skipped his post-match media duties.

After the game Carragher sent an apology to Nani in the United dressing room and waited for the winger to personally say sorry for causing the injury.

The visitors were not just sinned against, however, with Rafael also escaping with a caution for a late lunge on Lucas Leiva moments after Carragher's tackle.

Dalglish played down the incidents, insisting Dowd had an easy game to officiate.

"I thought both sets of players were fantastic credit and made it an enjoyable spectacle for everyone," was his take on the game.

And despite the win the Liverpool manager accepts there is plenty of work still to do.

"The closer you get to the top the more difficult it is to close the gap," he said. "Moving from 20th to sixth is not as big a problem as moving from two to one so the higher you go the more difficult the step up is.

"United are a great benchmark but our season is not finished. We got our reward for the victory in three points in the league but we just want to keep going and get as many as we possibly can.

"The owners (Americans Fenway Sports Group) are determined to move the club forward within reason, whatever that is going to be they will do their best to provide it.

"But the players who played there did not do themselves any harm in terms of being part of the club going forward."

Dirk Kuyt hailed a "perfect" day after scoring his first Liverpool hat-trick and the first Reds treble against United for more than 20 years.

"It's perfect," said Kuyt. "You dream about the hat-trick and to do it against United is the best feeling ever. I'm more than happy but I have to thank Luis because he played great and created two of the goals.

"They were quite easy goals, I used to score them in Holland when I played more like a striker. They count and I'm more than happy to take them."

Kuyt's goals effectively won the match but the contributions of January signing Luis Suarez and midfielders Raul Meireles and Lucas Leiva could not be under-estimated.

"The way the players went about their job, their attitude, their desire to get a result and the pride they took in the club and themselves is why they got the result," added Dalglish, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday.

"Everyone gave everything they had to beat Manchester United and they played so well.

"They were all outstanding in different ways. Dirk got three goals and will get the headlines and Luis played fantastically well but the rest of them weren't too far behind.

"Without the contribution of the rest the boys would not have had as an enjoyable afternoon. We know it is a good victory and very important for us."