A Michael Owen double sent Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the English Premiership today.
With second-placed Arsenal not playing until Sunday, Gerard Houllier's side bounced back from their midweek Champions League defeat to Valencia with a convincing 2-0 defeat of struggling West Ham at Anfield.
Manchester United needed a long-range strike from Diego Forlan five minutes from time to clinch a 2-1 win at home to Southampton that keeps their title challenge on track.
Alex Ferguson's men moved up to third place but they still have a hefty eight points to make up on Liverpool.
Owen could have had a hat-trick before he finally put Liverpool ahead in the 27th minute with a marvellous solo effort.
His second, ten minutes after the break, was a scrappier affair with the England striker slipping as he prepared to shoot.
But the ball still made it over the line with the help of a touch by West Ham defender Christian Dailly and Owen will certainly be claiming it as his 11th goal of the season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, back in the side after three games out with a hamstring injury, was involved in the move that put Manchester United ahead after 15 minutes.
The Dutch striker laid the ball off to Paul Scholes, whose pass found Phil Neville charging into the box and the younger of the United brothers crashed the ball into the net for only the 5th league goal of his Old Trafford career on his 200th Premiership appearance.
With David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Juan Veron, Laurent Blanc and Fabien Barthez all back in action after missing the Champions League defeat by Maccabi Haifa in midweek, Neville's strike had the Old Trafford faithful looking forward to the floodgates opening.
But they were stunned into silence two minutes later when Southampton's French midfielder Fabrice Fernandes equalised with a curling shot from the right that left Barthez with no chance.
United responded with venom but Gordon Strachan's side held out to the break and Ferguson's side were a poor imitation of their normal selves in the second period.
With 85 minutes gone, a third straight draw for United seemed inevitable before Forlan picked up a Scholes pass and let fly.
Former Arsenal and Liverpool striker Nicolas Anelka scored one and made another as Manchester City continued their revival with a 2-1 win at fellow Premiership newcomers West Brom.
Anelka put City ahead six minutes after the break, tapping in from six yards after being set up by Israeli international Eyal Berkovic.
Neil Clement equalised for West Brom but Anelka presented Bermudan international Shaun Goater with an easy finish in the 71st minute to condemn West Brom to their eighth defeat of the season.
Bottom-placed Bolton were left cursing their luck after a 3-1 defeat at Birmingham plunged Sam Allardyce's side deeper into trouble.
Darren Purse set Birmingham on their way with his first Premiership goal just after the hour mark, moments after Bolton's Nigerian playmaker Jay Jay Okocha had seen a stunning 40-yard drive come crashing back from the cross bar.
Bolton's chances of staging a comeback looked to have disappeared when Jamaica international Ricardo Gardner was sent off for a second yellow card.
Okocha had other ideas and produced a spectacular volley to equalise.
But he had to watch in horror as Birmingham mounted an attack straight from the restart which ended with Robbie Savage waltzing round Jussi Jaaskelainen and slotting home for his first Premiership goal for the club.
With Bolton's spirit broken, Jeff Horsfield claimed Birmingham's third seven minutes from the end.