Review Match Day 15: Berbatov revvs past Rovers (Video)

“Christmas came about a month early to Old Trafford.”

And indeed it did, the atmosphere was festive with the full capacity crowd enjoying Berbatov’s moment of magic. His performance was fabulous or to say, Berbalicious.

It was never going to be easy for a Blackburn side to play against a rejuvenated Manchester United at Old Trafford which was ready to welcome its star striker Wayne Rooney, his first start at Old Trafford after his contract saga. And what a reception it was. The fans put all their bitter memories behind and welcomed their favorite with loud and continuous chants of “Rooney Rooney”.

If the game was important for Rooney, it was even more important for his strike partner, Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian had not scored since his match winning performance against Liverpool and with all the rumors that the manager had finally lost his faith in the “lazy” striker and was ready to sell him flying around the pressure on his was immense.

Living a dream: Dimitar Berbatov

Berbatov fires a hat-trick winner in an emphatic Liverpool derby

Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool

 Berbatov 42’, 59’, 84   vs   Gerrard 64’ (pen.), 70’

Dimitar berbatov after the amazing winning hat-trick goal!

Celebrations after the stunning 2nd goal! as Howard Webb looks on

3rd goal

The all-time best Dimitar Berbatov over-head goal! SUPERB!

Into the net, Reina doesn't move

Wonderful goal needs wonderful celebrations

Easy first goal

Emphatic, Elegant, Bulgarian Dimitar!

"Enjoying the crunchy game Roy?"

Joe Cole was a menace.

See Fletcher moving

Before Fletcher started to move away from the United wall.

Sir Alex's arrogance costs United money! Sir Alex said Fernando Torres is a cheat to get O'Shea sent off

All hail Dimitar Berbatov - the awesome Bulgarian Striker who rescued Manchester United from a yet another heart-throbbing Manchester - Liverpool derby. This one was one of the finest. Dimitar Berbatov's goals against Liverpool shall be remembered till this world ends. They were absolute stunners. Especially the second over-head goal which was absolute beauty! It relived all those Eric Cantano (the famous French striker who also featured in the film - "Looking for Eric") days which were filled with a surprise sense of play. Berbatov's game today can be compared to all those legends who spent their days at Old Trafford - Sir Matt Busby, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, Sir Ryan Giggs.... now may I introduce - Sir Dimitar Berbatov...

Tribute to Dimitar Berbatov

It can be fully agreed that the second goal was one of the best one has ever witnessed in the history of football. The second was a blind goal with marvellous sense of class and perfection. It was the DIMITAR BERBATOV's goal. The goalkeeper Pepe Reina didn't get a chance to move. There was a sudden roar in the stadium after that goal - one could have anticipated the hat-trick goal as well sometime soon. Thanks to John O'Shea, who was otherwise sluggish in the whole game and produced a silly 2nd goal opportunity for Liverpool, for the lovely cross right in front of Dimitar Berbatov. Dimitar fired his 3rd which meant United were in front. This hat-trick was the first one in a Liverpool-Manchester derby in 64 years since 1946. Only magicians like Dimitar berbatov can do this job and he's no less than a Karate Kid. It was a very athletic over-head kick which landed perfectly in the net, a goal Yoga masters around the world would be very happy of. This is to say the least - the Bulgarian really puts in a lot of effort.

The crowd gave a standing applause to the Bulgarian - he had closed his eyes as if he was still dreaming. It's a dream come true for him. He's done something none other player could achieve in over 6 decades! Dimitar Berbatov is the name, remember it! Today's goal were every penny of the massive £30 million spent on him 2 years ago to buy him from Tottenham Hotspurs where he scored many such similar Hat-tricks.

Berbatov's second goal was the pick of the scoring, an overhead kick which went in off the bar, and after the Bulgarian had become the first United player to score a hat-trick against Liverpool in more than 60 years, Ferguson added on Sky Sports: "It was unexpected, a surprise attempt. Not many of those go in the net but fortunately it did this time.

Match Review

Apart from Berbatov's impressive hat-trick the game was equally poised. Both teams played well but thanks to Dimitar for producing United with regular break throughs.. United started off with numerous corner kicks,  in fact the first goal came from the 7th corner kick in the first half right before the half time at 42'.

The match was full of dirty tackles, a few injuries to Ryan Giggs and Luis Nani who were substituted later on. Nani's performance was brilliant. His strike came in the 56th minute which got hit on the woodwork from the edge of the bos. It was a yet another superb hit from the Portugese. There plenty of yellow cards for United. Rooney, John O'Shea, Evans. For liverpool it was N'Gog who had a striker's chellenge at Darren Fletcher.

From Liverpol's end it was only Steven Gerrards who scored from two set-pieces, thanks to Darren Fletcher for moving away from the wall and inviting Gerrard - the Liverpool demon, to make it 2-2. It was a mesmirizing moment for the sparkling Liverpool.

Desperate situations need desperate measures! United were on full attack. Rooney did a marvellous job in stretching the play to the wings, but it was Dimitar Berbatov who scored a fantastic hat-trick goal from the his 2nd header of the game. The winning goal came in the 84th minute and Old Trafford was buzzing.

Evans gave away a silly penalty! Will he learn?

Ryan Giggs picked up a minor hamstring injury and had to be substituted for late winning striker - Federico Macheda. Anderson came on for his Portugese counterpart- Nani and and Darron Gibson - the awesome Irish "shooter" came on for the hat-trick hero.

Player ratings

Van Der Sar 6 - litte he could do really

Evra - 7.5 - good dribbling and defending

Vidic - 9  - avoided the "Liverpool scare" and did marvellous defending. CAPTAIN! Maintained his strong siberian character.

Evans - 4 - Johnny needs to learn. He can't give away penalties like this. Wake up Johny!

O Shea - 7- despite the poor free-kick give away to Torres, did well with lovely crossing

Fletcher - 6 - average

Scholes - 5.5 - below average

Nani - 7 - super wing display

Giggs - 6.5 - looked just fine, not the best

Rooney - 6.5 - Is he really a striker? Rooney was a shadow of his own reflection, was literally dead. Rooney only long and short passes with no effort to score goals for Manchester United. Rooney is not scoring goals!

Berbatov - 10 - AWESOME! He has started to score goals for Manchester United. Scored 3 goals today against Liverpool. Deserves to be Man of the Match. This was his 7th goal of the season. His performance is on the rise after he quit from the Bulgaria national team.

EDIT (11.00 PM BST) 

Match Highlights
Please CLICK HERE to watch Manchester United vs Liverpool in HD. 19/09/2010

Catch us for the Carling Cup game against Scunthorpe United on Wednesday. 22/09/2010

Neville admits hating Liverpool

Neville showing the finger to Tevez

Gary Neville's public dislike of Manchester City has resurfaced as he made a candid admission of his "hatred" for Liverpool but also acknowledged that he has more respect for them than the club Sir Alex Ferguson derided as Manchester United's "noisy neighbours".

Neville was prominently involved in the hostilities between the two Manchester clubs last season, caught making a one-fingered sign towards Carlos Tevez as the City striker celebrated scoring against his former club in the Carling Cup semi-final. The former England defender was also given an official warning by the Football Association for the way he celebrated Michael Owen's stoppage-time winner in the league meeting at Old Trafford, running along the touchline to goad City's supporters.

His latest remarks are likely to go down badly at both Anfield and Eastlands, with Chelsea possibly implicated as well, but Neville has never hidden his feelings for United's rivals and did not shy away when asked whether it was true he hated Liverpool. "When I was younger there was no doubt about it," he said. "I was a United fan, they [Liverpool] were winning everything and it was a horrible time for my club, to be honest, through the 70s and 80s.

"I suppose it came from jealousy through my childhood – jealousy, hatred, passion for your own club. You don't want them [Liverpool] to win anything, and you don't like the people who are winning, just like I've seen in the last 15 or 16 years, from a good side, everybody is now 'we all hate Man United' – and they hate Man United because we are winning."

It was here that Neville made what can be taken only as a thinly-veiled reference to City, the biggest spenders in English football for the past two years.

"I have more respect for Liverpool, in a sense of their tradition and their history, than I do some of the other clubs that have come on the scene in the last few years, throwing a load of money at it." He then added pointedly: "They [Liverpool] have got a good history – you have to hand it to them – and they have been successful."

Neville's comments fall into line with a career in which he has frequently courted controversy but, by his own admission, is probably now in its final season. "Two years ago I thought it would be my last season. Last year I felt the same. I recognise this one could be as well. I am on a one-year contract. If I don't perform or the club don't want me anymore, I will be gone. That is life. In the 19 years I have been here, it has happened to better players."

Patrice Evra, the United left-back, has lost his appeal against the five-match ban imposed by the French football federation for his part in the World Cup players' mutiny against Raymond Domenech. Evra argued that it was unfair to single him out just because he was the captain but a hearing in Paris threw out his case.