Classic MatchLiverpool 2-0 Man Utd (2001) - 'Could have been five' as Gerrard and Fowler strike

At the outset of 2000-01, now a quarter of a century of seasons ago, the Reds had not beaten their rivals from down the East Lancs Road in any of their last 10 meetings across all competitions.

That depressing run into double figures included defeat in a Wembley FA Cup final and three league losses at Anfield.

In December 2000, Gerard Houllier’s men finally gave Kopites a victory they had been craving, Danny Murphy’s free-kick on the stroke of half-time ultimately securing Liverpool a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

By the time the clubs clashed again that season, on the final day of March 2001, the smiles on Reds fans’ faces had been enhanced by the lifting of the League Cup a month earlier - the first leg of an eventual treble that would also feature FA Cup and UEFA Cup joy.

But wouldn’t it be nice to end what had become a bit of an L4 hoodoo, too?

United were going to canter to a third consecutive Premier League title regardless of the outcome on Merseyside, though a statement performance from Houllier’s emerging side would hold no less significance to them for that fact.

They wasted little time.

Robbie Fowler dragged a long-ranger narrowly wide of the right post before, with the game still only 16 minutes old, Steven Gerrard nearly ripped the net out of the goal at the Anfield Road end.

Controlling Fowler’s lay-off fully 30 yards from the target, Gerrard unleashed a beautiful and pure strike that soared and swirled past a helpless Fabian Barthez and into the top left corner.

“Not for the first time, and probably not the last, Gerrard was the driving influence of this Liverpool triumph, an indomitable presence on the right of midfield,” wrote The Guardian.

“His 16th-minute haymaker, a sure-fire contender for Goal of the Season, was an object lesson how to strike a long shot.”

Patrik Berger and Emile Heskey were whiskers the wrong side of the same right-hand post as the Reds continued to purr in search of a second.

They got it when Scouse pair Fowler and Gerrard reversed roles from the opening goal to double the home team’s lead ahead of the interval.

Gerrard swapped power for skill with a lofted pass that landed sweetly to the right side of goal for Fowler as visiting defender Gary Neville stumbled.

‘God’ brought the ball under his spell and clinically lashed a half-volleyed finish past Barthez. Two-nil.

“Liverpool were looking so dangerous, so in control, it was tempting to believe it was all a trick of the mind,” continued that Guardian report.

Indeed, only an excellent Barthez reaction save prevented Heskey from extending the advantage to three before half-time.

United’s Dwight Yorke saw a tap-in ruled out for offside and Liverpool sustained a second-half sending-off as Murphy received a second yellow card.

But it was immaterial, with Heskey going closest to further changing the scoresheet as his low effort from the edge of the box bounced off the woodwork.

Reds goalkeeper Sander Westerveld snuffed out Yorke in a one-on-one near the end, preserving the cherry on the cake of a clean sheet.

Gerrard was delighted to have played a leading role in an overdue season double over United, saying post-match: “It was 1979 the last time we did it, all the lads knew that before the game and we were all right up for it.”

Houllier, meanwhile, noted with a grin: “I think Fabian Barthez saved them on two or three occasions, otherwise the score could have been 4-0 or 5-0.”