Despite Liverpool's impressive win, Carlo Ancelotti was the real winner this weekend

By Martin Lipton in Laptop with Martin Lipton

Published 12:38 26/10/09

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Rafa Benitez rightly lives to fight another day but there was no doubting who was the weekend's real winner.

After watching his side dismantle a frankly embarrassing Blackburn, Carlo Ancelotti had joked he would become "a Liverpool fan - but only for one day".

Ancelotti didn't add that he had already been a Wolves and Stoke supporter, and that he would be cheering Fulham and West Ham as well, but all of them came up trumps for the Italian over two days that made the top of the table even more of a concertina.

This time last year, while Liverpool were top on 25 points, Portmouth, in seventh, had just 14 to their name.

Contrast with the current standings. Should Manchester City and Aston Villa pick up anything in their games in hand, the gap between the top seven would be just six points - and that after the quarter-way point of the season.

Yet while it has rarely been so congested after 10 games, Chelsea will feel the evident vulnerabilities of all their rivals has been publicly displayed.

Sir Alex Ferguson, after his silly and ill-directed criticisms of Andre Marriner - which stayed, just, the right side of the line in terms of disciplinary action from the FA - conceded his side had got what they deserved from their trip to Anfield .

Liverpool showed all the desire, determination and diligence required to win the game, aided and abetted by the latest example of the apparently waning powers of Rio Ferdinand.

It was a mirror image of so many matches we have seen from United in the past, especially against Arsenal, when the extra effort and commitment of the Old Trafford side - occasionally crossing the boundaries of what is legitimate - outweighed the more elegant football of their opponents.

At times at Anfield, especially in the period before half-time, United looked far more intelligent and composed on the ball. But there was something lacking in their all-round performance, a lessening of the normal intensity levels, and they paid the price for it.

Certainly the victory did Liverpool and Benitez a power of good - and not merely in proving they can win big games without Steven Gerrard.

Yossi Benyoun's display in the "Gerrard" role stood out yet Liverpool were not, by any means, convincing and after four defeats already, the reality is that they cannot afford another slip-up before the end of November or risk falling too far off the pace to be able to get back into the race.

While United's defeat at a fired-up Anfield might have been predicted - albeit not, it must be said, by me! - the other surprise results were indeed that.

Tottenham's shock upset at the hands of Stoke - no matter the circumstances or the lack of fortune, it was a body-blow - was further evidence that Harry Redknapp's side are, in all probability, top six contenders, rather than challengers for the Champions League slots.

Villa, too, failed to take the momentum of their Chelsea win into their West Midlands derby at Molineux but it was the two victories thrown away by City and Arsenal that really made a good weekend for Chelsea into a great one.

Arsene Wenger didn't try to hide his frustration over the way his Gunners contrived to toss away two points at Upton Park although the Frenchman needs to look at himself and his selections.

Vito Mannone's flap-happy spell in goal has suggested that despite having four glovemen on his book, Wenger still doesn't have a goalkeeper and all the pretty football in the world counts for nothing if you can't put a team away when you have them on the ropes.

City boss Mark Hughes was in similar mood, although blaming referee Kevin Friend for disallowing Micah Richards' first half effort was more taking a leaf from the Fergie book before the Welshman took aim at the right targets .

It added up to Chelsea stealing a march on all of the six teams currently below them. And with Joe Cole sparkling on his league return - even if Petr Cech's uncertain form must remain a concern - it could hardly have got better for the Blues.