Daniel Sturridge sent Liverpool top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, while Arsenal clipped Tottenham Hotspur's wings in the north London derby.
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New United manager David Moyes was without Wayne Rooney due to a head injury that looks set to rule him out of England's World Cup qualifiers and in his absence, the Scot's poor record at Anfield continued.
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Sturridge, who could benefit from Rooney's absence for England against Moldova and Ukraine, scored the only goal in the fourth minute, having also been the match-winner in 1-0 wins over Stoke City and Aston Villa.
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It means that Liverpool are the only team to have won their opening three fixtures, after big-spending Spurs lost 1-0 at Arsenal later in the day.
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"It is a great win for our belief," said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
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"Last season we drew too many of the big games and we lost both times to Manchester United, but today was another marker for us and since January our form has been very, very good."
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Although the season remains young, it was a painful defeat for United, who already trail their old rivals by five points.
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"I thought we played really well," said Moyes, the former Everton manager, who revealed after the game that Rooney could be out for three weeks.
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"We had long periods of the game, but couldn't score. Apart from the lapse in concentration for their goal, we played well.
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"We got two or three opportunities but it was unfortunate we didn't take them."
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The game was preceded by a minute's applause for the late Bill Shankly, who would have turned 100 on Monday, and the legendary former Liverpool manager would have appreciated his side's purposeful start.
I simply do not know what happened to David Moyes in today's game. Manchester United did not show up in the game @ all.