Making good use of the extra man in the centre of midfield, they prevented Roy Keane and Nicky Butt from establishing a flow of possession, while Chris Powell found time to go forward as well as guarding David Beckham.For half an hour were alarmed only by Mark Kin-sella’s headed back pass, which almost reached Yorke before the goalkeeper, Simon Royce, and not until the last 10 minutes of the half did United establish a measure of authority, creating their first three chances.Butt drove Keane’s square pass just past the post, Royce made a smart one-handed stop from a Giggs volley and Henning Berg jabbed Giggs’s cross wide. Only towards the end of each half did a United side that cost some pounds 45m – more than 10 times as much as the opposition – show the necessary urgency and create some chances.Curbishley had understandably opted for the security of a third centre- half to counter Andy Cole and Yorke, using John Robinson as a right wing- back against his more celebrated Welsh team-mate Ryan Giggs. It is the first time they have stood at the summit this season, apart from a 24-hour spell in early December, and climaxes a month of five straight victories and 16 goals.
Yet such was their lethargy for much of the afternoon, and Charlton’s ceaseless endeavour, that a goalless draw seemed for a long time the more likely outcome. Substitutes not used: Gioacchino, Clement, Aloisi, Ogrizovic (gk).Liverpool (3-5-2): James; Song (McManaman, 68), Staunton (Gerrard 86), Matteo; Heggem, Redknapp, Ince, Berger (Riedle 77), Bjornebye; Fowler, Owen. Substitutes not used: Harkness, Friedel (gk).Referee: M Riley (Leeds).Bookings: Liverpool: Heggem, Song.Man of the match: Boateng.Attendance: 23,056.. Charlton Athletic 0 Manchester United 1

MANCHESTER UNITED took the long road to the top of the Premiership yesterday, wandering down highways and byways and into endless cul-de-sacs before Dwight Yorke completed the ascent in the 89th minute with a glancing header.

The threat from Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler did not emerge until Coventry lost right-back Roland Nilsson at half-time and even then it was not until Houllier went for broke, sending on McManaman and Karl-Heinz Riedle, that the home side came under sustained attack.Rigobert Song, the pounds 2.5m Cameroon international, created a favourable impression in the 68 minutes he had in Liverpool’s back three but Houllier needs to bring in further, high quality reinforcements, both alongside Song and further up the field before his side can mount a challenge of genuine substance.Goals: Boateng (60) 1-0; Whelan (71) 2-0; McManaman (86) 2-1.Coventry City (4-4-2): Hedman; Nilsson (Breen, 45), Williams, Shaw, Burrows; Boateng, McAllister, Soltvedt, Froggatt; Whelan, Huckerby. One can only assume that his previous club, Feyenoord, where his contract was running out when Coventry stepped in, made an enormous blunder.Boateng’s drive and Gary McAllister’s nous on a sticky pitch that did not suit Jamie Redknapp gave Coventry a decisive edge, even though it took them an hour to impose themselves. What a pity, Glenn Hoddle may have mused as he watched from the directors’ box, that he had not been born – sorry, reincarnated – an Englishman.That Gordon Strachan, who clearly has an eye for a bargain, could sign him for just pounds 250,000 is extraordinary. Then again, he is more Bryan Robson than Ince, a player managers like to call a good box-to-box man. But if the goal he scored, a diving header, came from commitment and courage, the one he set up came with a subtle touch, a precisely lobbed pass that invited the willing Noel Whelan to put Coventry in control. But if he fingers anyone in private it may well be Paul Ince, whose failure to impose himself has lately become an all-too- regular occurrence.The England player famous for the curling lip and crunching tackle was out-fought and out-growled by George Boateng, the former Dutch Under-21 captain who did precisely the same when these sides met at Highfield Road 13 months ago.Boateng, 23 and full of energy and power, was a good yard keener than 31-year-old Ince in almost every robust challenge. “They [Coventry] are fighting for their lives,” he said, “but we have a fight, too, to get back to the top.

Coventry wanted very much to win today.”Naturally, he singled out no one for criticism, excusing David James for letting in the goals on the grounds that his saves have won matches on other occasions. His grasp of English is such that the pat explanations fall from his tongue quite effortlessly.But he did allude, more meaningfully, to Coventry’s spirit; and in a way from which it was understood that he felt Liverpool’s was lacking. Gerard Houllier may wonder if the revival of the last month was an illusion.”We had chances but we also made mistakes and in the Premiership if you make a mistake you have to pay,” the Frenchman said. Coventry City 2 Liverpool 1

JUST WHEN it seemed they had rediscovered consistency, Liverpool slipped into old habits, turning in a performance that simply was not adequate against a Coventry side who deserve better than to be worrying about relegation.
Whether it was the news, finally confirmed, that Steve McManaman really is to leave in the summer, or whether it was the after-shock from the FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford, something put Liverpool off their stroke. Nottingham Forest: Johnson, Van Hooijdonk, Darcheville, Stensaas.Man of the match: Palmer.Attendance: 34,175.. Substitutes not used: Crossley (gk), Freedman.Referee: G Barber (Hertfordshire).Bookings: Everton: Barmby. Atkinson was brought in partly to engender that new optimism on the terraces.

With Palmer as his lieutenant, he can maintain that same mood on the pitch, although the players might be encouraged to call him the boss-man rather than Big fat Ron.Everton (3-5-2): Myhre; Dunne, Materazzi, Unsworth; Ward (Branch, 61), Grant (Dacourt, 62), Hutchison, Barmby, Ball; Oster, Cadamarteri (Bakayoko, h-t). Substitutes not used: Simonsen (gk), Watson.Nottingham Forest (4-4-2): Beasant; Harkes, Hjelde, Palmer, Stensaas (Armstrong, 80); Stone, Gemmill, Johnson, Rogers (Porfirio, 90); Van Hooijdonk, Darcheville (Bart-Williams, 85). Everton put us under a lot of pressure out there, but we survived and our keeper Dave Beasant pulled off some great saves. All I know is that if we keep playing like that we have half a chance of escaping relegation.Of course, Palmer and his other new arrivals were fortunate to have opposition as toothless as Everton to welcome them to the relegation dogfight.But if there was ever a match in which Everton would have backed themselves to finally master the art of scoring goals at home, this was it; Forest had conceded more on their travels than any other side.They had their chances, notably one blocked from Mitch Ward and one saved from John Oster in the first half and close calls from Ibrahima Bakayoko and Nick Barmby in a frenetic six minute stretch of injury time at the end.But Everton’s overall display did not merit a win and they were denied even the familiar scoreless draw by Pierre van Hooijdonk’s goal five minutes into the second half.It was richly ironic that a match dominated by the total commitment of Palmer should be won by a player whose interest in proceedings appeared so sporadic.Van Hooijdonk’s careless touch and a good opportunity fluffed shortly before his goal had triggered rumbles of complaint from the Forest fans; then he was given lavish time and space by Alan Rogers’ square pass and all was forgotten, if not forgiven.Those Forest fans had already been hailing themselves as “Big fat Ron’s red and white army” before that breakthrough.