Liverpool beat Manchester United 3 – 1 at Anfield on Sunday to deal a hefty blow to the log leaders’ title hopes.

United suffered their second league defeat in a week after losing 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday, leaving them just three points ahead of Arsenal having played a game more.

Kuyt opened the scoring after 34 minutes from point-blank range after some trickery by Luis Suarez and the workaholic Dutchman doubled Liverpool’s lead five minutes later after a terrible mistake by the unfortunate Nani.

The Portuguese playmaker was then carried off on a stretcher before halftime after a bad tackle by Jamie Carragher.

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Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has remained coy about his new record signing Andy Carroll’s chances of debuting against Manchester United over the weekend.

The 22-year-old, whose £35million price tag is a record for a British player, has not had chance to turn out for his new club as he has been sidelined with a thigh injury.

His last game was for Newcastle on December 28.

Dalglish has always insisted he would be patient, but with the striker taking part in full training sessions this week, there is a chance he could be in the squad to face Liverpool’s arch-rivals at Anfield.

The Reds boss was giving nothing away, however, at his pre-match press conference on Thursday morning.

“His training is always progressing but he has not yet progressed to a game yet,” said Dalglish, who celebrates his 60th birthday on Friday.

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Pepe Reina has put Liverpool on alert by refusing to rule out a move to Manchester United.

Ten months ago the Spaniard signed a fresh six-year deal with the club but warned that he could follow international team mate Fernando Torres, who completed a £50million switch to Chelsea last week, out of Anfield in a bid to further his ambitions.

United are actively scouring Europe for a successor to Edwin van der Sar after he announced he will retire from the game at the end of this season and Reina, one of their main targets, has admitted that Liverpool’s absence from the Champions League has given him food for thought.

“Van der Sar is hanging up his gloves [at United] and people say that Arsenal are [also] looking,” Reina told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

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Liverpool‘s new £22.8 million striker paid off last night as Luis Suarez came off the bench to score Liverpool’s second goal on his debut against Stoke City to give the Reds a much needed 2 – 0 win.

After Raul Meireles’s 47th-minute opener the Uruguay striker, a deadline day capture from Ajax Amsterdam, joined the fray in the 63rd minute and tucked in the second goal to secure seventh-placed Liverpool’s third successive win and take them within two points of Sunderland.

It was a bad night for Manchester City as they could draw 2-2 only at Birmingham City. Tottenham Hotspur gained ground as Peter Crouch’s early goal earned them a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers.

Manchester United, who beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Tuesday, lead the way with 54 points, five ahead of Arsenal. Manchester City have 46, Chelsea 44 and Spurs 41.

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The English Premier League transfer record was smashed twice yesterday when Fernando Torres joined Chelsea and Liverpool signed Andy Carroll from Newcastle United.

The two strikers, together with Benfica defender David Luiz who also joined Chelsea on deadline day, took spending in the final hour of the transfer window to around £100 million (approximately R1,1 billion) as the club’s owners flexed their financial muscles.

Torres cost Chelsea a widely reported £50 million — a new British record by quite a margin — after the 22-year-old Carroll signed a five and a half year deal with Liverpool, his fee reported to be £35 million.

Carroll will not have to fill the hole left by the 26-year-old Torres alone, however, after Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also completed the signing of Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez from Ajax for a further €26.5 million (approximately R260,5 million).

Torres could face Liverpool in a blue Chelsea shirt on Sunday when the sides meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge and should expect a frosty reception from the Liverpool fans who idolised him after his 2007 move from Atletico Madrid.

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Liverpool have turned down a transfer request from Fernando Torres, the English Premier League club said Saturday, following an audacious bid from Chelsea for the Spain striker.

“Fernando Torres tonight submitted a written transfer request, which has been rejected by Liverpool,” Liverpool said in a statement on its website.

“Fernando is under a long-term contract and the Club expects him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool FC and its supporters when he signed the agreement.”

Torres, 26, is under contract at Liverpool until 2013. However he is widely reported to have a buy-out clause in his deal which will allow him to leave if another team matches his £50 million valuation.

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The Reds have rejected a £25 million bid from Chelsea for striker Fernando Torres ahead of the January transfer window closing on Monday.

Chelsea is in need of a new forward to help its faltering title defense after slipping from top to fourth in the standings, 10 points behind leader Manchester United.

“Chelsea have made an offer for Fernando which has been rejected,” Liverpool announced late on Thursday. “The player is not for sale.”

Liverpool’s American owner John Henry is not prepared to let his top player leave, with the team showing signs of a recovery since Kenny Dalglish returned to the manager’s job at the start of the month.

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