Sport 21-09-2004 Man Utd 2 Liverpool 1 who: Liverpool what: Lose 2-1 to Manchester United where: Old Trafford, MANCHESTER when: Last night snippet: "On a storm-tossed night at Old Trafford, lightning in the form of Mikael Silvestre struck twice for a reinvigorated Manchester United," reports The Telegraph`s Henry Winter. "Both were headers from Ryan Giggs deliveries. To lose one headed goal to Silvestre could be considered a misfortune; to lose two smacked of near criminal carelessness, particularly after Liverpool had leveled through John O`Shea`s own goal." A lapse by defender Rio Ferdinand, returning after an enforced eight month absence for skipping a drug test, "contributed to that goal, but he was otherwise impressive in difficult conditions," says Glenn Moore in The Independent. "Heavy rain created a slick surface but neither Djibril Cissé nor Milan Baros were able to turn him. His return to England colours, against Wales on this ground next month, seems assured." Indeed, his return seemingly spurred the team to their "best performance of the season [by far]," says the BBC, "Ferguson`s side attacking with verve and defending more solidly". "The win lifts United into joint seventh position, seven points behind leaders Arsenal," says The Scotsman`s Alan Pattullo. "It might be premature to report about a season alive with possibilities but with Ferdinand now re-installed at the heart of the defence and Wayne Rooney likely to make his full debut before the end of the month the bugle has at least been sounded, and maps towards the summit issued." [... more]

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