Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

overall standings along with Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea on 58 points, seven adrift of United, who have a game in hand (Portsmouth). If Sir Alex Ferguson’s men win today, they move ten points ahead of Liverpool and could wrap up the league, or almost. They are clear favourites. They have had a run of eleven wins on the trot, let in only two goals in the last sixteen games and have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League without too much trouble by seeing off Inter Milan in the quarter-finals. The Reds come into this vital match with their morale running very high following a convincing Champions League victory on Tuesday against Real Madrid. Here their last chances for a tilt at the league are at stake. If they manage to cut the distance from the leaders they could open up the fight for the title again. Will the effort from the match against the men in white weigh against them? It may well do, but Benítez’s wards will give it their best shot to come out on top at a ground where Liverpool has not won since 2004, when Gérard Houllier was on the bench. Rafa has never walked away as the winner from the Theatre of Dreams.
    The bad news for the Merseyside team is the absence of Xabi Alonso, who won’t be able to lay down the law in midfield. He is replaced by Lucas Leiva. For the other side Dimitar Berbatov settles into the dugout, while ‘The Apache’ Tévez starts. Let’s have a look at the line-ups announced:
    Manchester United: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Anderson, Park, Rooney, Tévez. Subs: Foster, Berbatov, Giggs, Nani, Scholes, Evans, Fletcher.
     
    Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera, Torres. Subs: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Babel, Insúa, Ngog, El Zhar.
     
    Referee: Alan Wiley
     
    The players are coming out onto the pitch now, Manchester in their traditional red shirts and Liverpool in grey.
    Álvaro Aberloa isn’t there among the Reds. He has had physical problems in the warm-up. Sami Hyypia takes his position and Carragher will play in the right back berth. A position he doesn’t really take to, if the truth be told.
    The game gets underway.

2nd minute
     
    Wayne Rooney seems to be all fired up. He is dangerous in the Red Devils’ first couple of attacks. Carragher looks uneasy opposite ‘Bad Boy’.

3rd minute
     
    From over on the right Cristiano Ronaldo feeds a ball in for Ji-Sung Park but the Korean’s shot is cut out by Carragher – corner. Manchester United is producing some good football and playing well.

6th minute
     
    Liverpool make inroads for the first time, Torres chasing up an extremely long ball. Rio Ferdinand checks on the edge of Manchester’s box.

21st minute
     
    Torres swerves brilliantly with one touch and gets away from Ferdinand on the edge of the penalty area – a touch of genius. For a moment it looks like a goal, but Vidic and O’Shea don’t let him finish off the move.

22nd minute
     
    A penalty to Manchester. Park chases a ball down the inside-left channel and into the box. Reina races out and slides towards Park’s feet. Park runs into the prone keeper and tumbles over.

23rd minute
     
    GOAL, CRISTIANO RONALDO! MANCHESTER UNITED 1 LIVERPOOL 0
    The man from Portugal is unforgiving from the spot. He shoots right-footed and low, just inside the left post. Reina guesses right but doesn’t get there.

28th minute
     
    GOAL, TORRES! MANCHESTER UNITED 1 LIVERPOOL 1
    Liverpool seem punch-drunk after the goal and unable to respond to the moves made by the Red Devils. It would be fair to say they haven’t put a foot right for five minutes and then the most amazing thing happens. Martin Skrtel frees things up in his area and hits a really long ball forward. Vidic scampers towards his goalmouth, allows the ball to bounce, and lets Fernando steal it off him – El Niño is off. Van der Sar rushes out to close up the angle but Torres keeps an extremely cool head and beats him on the run with an accurate finish into the left-hand corner of the Dutchman’s goal. Fantastic work from The Kid. Game on.

31st minute
     
    Torres once more against the unfortunate Vidic, who appears not to have a clue how to handle the fair-haired Spanish striker. First he forces him to clear for a corner and next up he heads past him (cross from Fabio Aurelio), slips into the penalty area and the Serbian defender stops him by stretching the rule-book to the limit.

34th