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The last time Liverpool ruled Old Trafford with such authority was the year of the Abdication.
Only time will tell whether Manchester United lose their grip on the Premier League crown after this humiliation, but the message from Rafa Benitez and Steven Gerrard is clear: Sir Alex Ferguson's Invincibles are no more.
Goals from Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena gave the Merseysiders their biggest win on United soil since 1936, when King Edward VIII was relinquishing a very different kind of title.
United's only consolations were a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo that gave them the lead, and a glance at the table - they are still four points clear with a game in hand.
The championship race has hardly been blown wide open. But as Rafa Benitez observed, United should not longer be considered an irresistible force.
The Liverpool manager said: "We still need United to lose more games, but I am more optimistic than I was before the game.
"We have shown teams that if you stay compact and control United's dangerous players, they can be beaten." It was supposed to be Benitez who was losing the plot when he cranked up the mind games with Ferguson in January with a verbal attack on the United boss when Liverpool were top.
Yet if Ferguson truly believed his post-battering claim that United were the better team, perhaps the men in white coats should call at Carrington rather than Melwood.
Ferguson said: "It is a hard one to take because I felt that we were the better team.
"When you win 4-1 at Old Trafford you deserve to take all the plaudits - and Liverpool will do that. But when you lose a game at Manchester United you respond - and we will do that."
When Ronaldo put United ahead in the 22nd minute, the world champions looked in the mood for mayhem.
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Sami Hyypia had his lack of pace exposed by Carlos Tevez's clever pass. Even so, Ji-Sung Park was heading away from goal when he nudged the ball away from a lunge from Pepe Reina that sent him spiralling.
Ronaldo duly scored from the spot. Yet within six minutes the Merseysiders were level. Torres had limped through most of the opening exchanges, but when Nemanja Vidic opted to duck under Martin Skrtel's long ball rather than head clear, pure instinct took over.
Torres's power and pace was too much for the Serbian enforcer and his right foot gave Edwin van der Sar no hope.
The home side were struggling to contain Torres and Gerrard - and the pair combined just before half-time to devastating effect.
Torres's clever pass tempted both Gerrard and Patrice Evra and when the Liverpool captain got there first, the United full-back's sliding tackle was only going to bring one result.
Once again referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot and Gerrard held his nerve to beat Van der Sar from 12 yards.
He celebrated by planting a kiss on the television camera in front of 3,000 delirious visiting supporters.
Carlos Tevez went close three times as United strained for parity,andwith16minutes left Ferguson went for broke by sending on Dimitar Berbatov, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
But within a 60 seconds, Liverpool were within touching distance of their first double over United for seven years. Vidic hauled back Kuyt after another error of judgment and correctly saw red for the second time against Liverpool this season.
Then Aurelio's curling 25-yard free-kick beat the static Van der Sar.
Gerrard fired a glorious chance over at the Stretford End before making way for Dossena to complete the rout with an injury-time lob
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