English FA Premiership/ Manchester Utd 1 Liverpool 0: For once, Chelsea's procession to another league title was not quite so regal. Jose Mourinho's side had drawn with Charlton earlier in the afternoon and Manchester United avoided breaking their own stride just when it looked as if they would yet again remain a respectful distance behind the reigning monarchs of the Premiership. Rio Ferdinand's header in the 90th minute settled the contest.

Though Chelsea are a soothing 14 points in front of Alex Ferguson's side, United's exultation was limitless. It would have been preferable, however, if some restraint had applied to Gary Neville. The right back celebrated at the end by waving his fists and kissing the badge on his jersey directly in front of the Liverpool fans. The football authorities could conceivably punish him.

The immediate and significant hurt was to Liverpool, whose unbeaten run of a dozen Premiership fixtures has been halted. Neither they nor United can expect the title this year and all the matches they negotiate are a research project as well as a struggle to preserve pride. The managers will go on taking the measure of their current resources, even if the evidence has been conclusive for a while.

Ferguson's appeal for improved solidity in the back four was heeded to some extent but there were few indications until the final seconds that the rest of the side could capitalise on it. Liverpool were the more assured team, the ones who looked as if they had a Champions League win on their CV, until the concluding 20 minutes.

Both these teams lack flair. United seldom involved the Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina until the moment when he could merely help Ferdinand's strong header into the net, and at the other end, Djibril Cisse's erratic ways made it academic that the visitors fashioned the better openings.

Liverpool gave every sign they expected to dictate the terms of this contest. Unusually for Rafael Benitez, two straightforward forwards were employed for the kind of game that usually finds him more ambivalent. The manager has mixed feelings, too, about Cisse, the striker who looked likely to be offloaded last summer. The Frenchman's showing at Old Trafford would have any coach daydreaming about hurling him through the current transfer window.

Defenestration may not be an option but Benitez had a more justified grievance over the display of Cisse than he did in his belief that United's 90th-minute goal, when Steve Finnan laid a hand on Patrice Evra, was unmerited. It was perturbing for the manager that Cisse, put through on the left by Steven Gerrard in the first half, should aim an awkward kick with his right foot that failed to connect with the ball.

There was a more embarrassing miscalculation to come. In the 60th minute a Finnan throw-in cut out Evra to send Mohamed Sissoko into the right of the penalty area and the midfielder's prod of the ball sent it spinning off Ferdinand and beyond Edwin van der Sar. The centre-back, though, recovered to hook clear from the goal-line. All the same, Cisse's glaring chance was still to come.

Harry Kewell had fired in the loose ball and the goalkeeper merely parried, but from six yards Cisse shot well over the bar. The Liverpool striker appeared surprised and off balance, but genuine predators react faster than he did when the randomness of football abruptly works to their advantage.

The France forward had contributed more in his build-up work. Ten minutes before the interval Sissoko forced the ball through the middle and an aware Cisse headed it into the path of Peter Crouch on the right. Only the reactions of Wes Brown, who got himself in the path of the angled drive, nullified the danger.

Brown has found lasting fitness elusive throughout his career, but that miserable phase of his life may just be coming to a close. Once more the defender has started to look like the youngster whom United fans used to speak of matter of factly as a future England captain. He was dropped for the defeat at Manchester City but that type of decision should become progressively harder for Ferguson to take.

The new centre-back, Nemanja Vidic, did not get off the bench here and it looks as if Mikael Silvestre has, at the very least, been sentenced to a spell in oblivion. If that speaks of a glut of options for one particular department of the team, Ferguson is not spoilt for choice overall.

The dependence on Wayne Rooney was troubling. He himself strives to answer it and, when he cannot quite succeed, grows inflammably frustrated. He was only aided in the latter phase as Ryan Giggs, in a central position, began to take on defenders in an extended flashback to his youth.

His free-kick was exacting for Liverpool but Benitez would still have expected his defence to plug the gap from which Ferdinand recorded his third goal since mid-December. United generally lacked firepower but some remnant of their former instincts survives and Rooney put a raking 30-yarder narrowly wide in the 87th minute.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all had notable undefeated runs ended at Old Trafford. Now it is up to United to embark on one of their own.