Amid the often frenetic action, Benitez’s men lacked composure, width and a cutting edge. It was an afternoon when the probing distribution of Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso, along with Jermaine Pennant’s flank play, would have made a difference.

Tellingly, the home side were far more dangerous once Ryan Babel was introduced for the final quarter, his pace and darting runs a new problem for United. After another impressive cameo, perhaps the time has come for the Dutchman to be handed a regular starting role.

To be fair, with Sami Hyypia in fine fettle and John Arne Riise producing his best display for some time, Liverpool’s own back-line were rarely threatened.

And when they did concede on 43 minutes, it was as much good fortune for United as poor defending.

Enjoying a rare bout of concerted pressure, the visitors harried Kewell into coughing up possession to initiate an attack which led to a corner on the right.

No Liverpool player was alert to the possibility of a cutback by Ryan Giggs to Rooney on the edge of the area, despite the best efforts of Jamie Carragher to close down the United man. But the striker’s mis-hit shot was going wide until falling favourably for Tevez, played onside by Benayoun on the goal-line, to turn home from inside the six-yard box.

It was from almost precisely the same spot where John O’Shea had netted United’s winner in the corresponding fixture last season, its scruffy nature in keeping with a first half in which the pace was ferocious but the standard of play generally atrocious.

Both heavyweights successfully denied each other space and, when they did gain the ball, were too readily passing it straight back to the opposition.

Liverpool’s two best chances of the opening 45 minutes came from confusion caused by Steven Gerrard set-pieces.

From the first, a corner from the left on 27 minutes, a nervy Edwin van der Sar was impeded by two of his own players as he attempted to reach Carragher’s header. As the ball ran loose inside the area, Kewell’s volley was cleared off the line by Anderson and a stretching Torres headed the rebound wide from four yards out.

Five minutes later, van der Sar ran into Nemanja Vidic to allow Gerrard’s deep free-kick to hit Ferdinand on the back of the head and bounce goal-ward, the United goalkeeper then relieved to see Evra to race across and clear before Kuyt could force the ball over the line.

Torres’s control let him down at the vital moment shortly after half-time, there were overly-ambitious Liverpool shouts for a penalty when the ball hit Tevez’s arm and Babel flashed a 25-yard effort narrowly wide after a poor header by Wes Brown, but United were comfortable as Benitez’s side became increasingly desperate.

A rare United break 12 minutes from time ended with the quiet Cristiano Ronaldo crossing from the left for Rooney to contrive to put the ball wide from six yards.

Substitute Peter Crouch and Gerrard were off target in injury time, but Liverpool – with 26 goals in their previous seven games – could have played all night and still not scored.

Benitez later refused to concede the title. But he and his players have again been shown what needs to be done to change the well-trodden path of the past 17 years.