Robbie's the top gun!

Top gun Robbie Fowler blasted in the glorious double that downed United and banished Anfield's autumn blues. The 20-year- old front man showed his team-mates the way to goal with a glorious curling free kick past the otherwise immaculate Peter Schmeichel on the stroke of half-time. It ended the England Under-21 man's five-game goalless run in tremendous style and was no more than Roy Evans' side deserved as they dominated from start to finish.

Only the brilliance of fit-again Schmeichel kept Alex Ferguson's team in contention as he denied the home side -- Stan Collymore in particular -- time and time again. But there was nothing even the great Dane could do when Steve McManaman broke from deep, not for the first time, three minutes from the end before feeding Fowler, who stepped inside David Beckham before clipping home his 15th of the season. It was a goal that lifted the roof off Anfield as the Liverpol fans celebrated a deserved triumph over their old enemy. For United, four games without a win, leaving them seven points behind leaders Newcastle, tells its own story.

 

Jason McAteer was back for Liverpool after his Republic of Ireland disappointment but, with Phil Babb injured, Evans switched Rob Jones to left back with Michael Thomas in midfield, while United should have been boosted by the return of Schmeichel, Dennis Irwin and Ryan Giggs.

But instead it was Liverpool who looked more at home from the first whistle as they took control from the opening exchanges.

 

Fowler headed a Jones cross wide as early as the 11th minute and after that it became a showdown between Schmeichel and Collymore, the keeper the master on every occasion.

Twice within a minute Collymore was left frustrated by the Dane's athleticism, first after a McManaman effort and had deflected into his path and then when he was freed by a slide-rule pass from John Barnes.

 

Schmeichel, though, was fortunate indeed when Beckham's hurried clearance in the 23rd minute turned into an unintentional lob which landed inches over rather than under the bar, although the keeper was at his brilliant best to block as Collymore raced onto a Jones pass.

 

United had failed to muster a single effort of note but looked as if they would escape to reach the interval on even terms, but Fowler had other thoughts. Barnes was downed by Lee Sharpe 25 yards out and, though the United wall seemed well set, Fowler stepped up to curl a peach of a shot into the top corner, the leaden-footed Dane a spectator as the ball sailed in.

 

Ferguson's displeasure on the bench was evident, although it took eight minutes of the second half for him to make a switch, 10-goal top scorer Paul Scholes replacing the once again out of sorts Andy Cole, but the chances continued to come at the other end.

 

Steve Bruce was perhaps lucky to escape when Collymore fell under a challenge from behind in the box, although the striker was so close to exacting the fullest of retributions when he held off a challenge by the United skipper to crush the ball against the angle of their post and bar.

 

United, through an Eric Cantona header, had at least worried David James in the Liverpool goal, although their main contribution to this point had been bookings for Brian McClair and Sharpe.

McManaman took a Collymore pass to skip into space only to find the side netting before United, belatedly, began to find their feet. Giggs linked with Cantona and McClair to produce a volleyed opportunity which the Frenchman struck superbly, a sprawling save by James coming to Liverpool's rescue and then Giggs missed the target when well placed.

 

With Bruce pushed forward to augment the attack, United were leaving space at the back and Collymore was twice foiled by Schmeichel when he should have capitalised. The misses began to plague Liverpool with defensive uncertainties for the first time and Mark Wright, stumbling as he tried to intercept, nearly diverted McClair's cross into his own net.

 

But all the fears were finally swept away when Fowler made up for the earlier misses by his strike partner. The goal was greeted with joy. Nobody needed reminding of just how important a victory over United was to the Kop.

 

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson turned on his side after they had crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool which leaves them seven points behind Premiership leaders Newcastle.

A goal in each half from Robbie Fowler left Anfield in a state of delirium but the Old Trafford manager was fuming as he branded his team's performance as unacceptable.

"I think, particularly in the first half, that that was the most lifeless performance I've seen from us," said the angry Ferguson. "I thought we'd ridden our luck and that we would get to half-time at 0-0 and if we had done we might have got something. But then Liverpool had the only bit of luck they'd had all half to score and that can't detract from what was a really poor performance."

 

Ferguson said that goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel had been unsighted for the 45th minute opener that put Liverpool on their way but added: "We didn't show the passion required for this game of football. When Manchester United play Liverpool you expect it will be a fight but we didn't fight at all in the first half. At least in the second we had a bit of possession and made a reasonable game of it but we just didn't get near them. For some of them, people like David Beckham, Gary Neville and also David May it was a new experience to play in a game of this intensity but the rest of them are used to it. They've no excuses for that."

 

Matchwinner Fowler said that the victory was all the more pleasant after the 2-2 draw between the clubs at Old Trafford in October, when a bitterly contested penalty from Eric Cantona -- on his return after an eight-month ban -- had earned United a fortunate draw. "Old Trafford was all about Cantona but today was all about Liverpool," said Fowler, who scored both goals in that 2-2 draw. "From the first whistle we controlled the game and got our just rewards with the two goals.

To get the first just before the break was ideal, although I didn't actually see it go in, and for the second I just lifted it over Schmeichel."

 

Liverpool boss Roy Evans was as delighted as his players. "We got a good result against Bolton last week and we were looking to carry that confidence forward against our oldest enemies," said Evans. "It was nice for us to go and do exactly that and with a bit of luck we could have won by a few more, although you've got to give Schmeichel credit because he was fantastic."

 

Schmeichel's brilliance came mainly at the expense of Stan Collymore, who was denied time and time again but Evans insisted: "I was more pleased with Stan today than I have been in a lot of games. He is getting in on the end of some of our good football and it wasn't just the occasional long ball. He was working it out and getting on to our passing movements which is what I've been looking for. But Robbie showed that he's got a phenomenal talent. He's had a little lean spell recently and so to break it like that was great for him and his effort today was worthy of getting two goals."
 
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