Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand thumped home a 90th minute header to give the Red Devils a 1-0 Premiership victory over Liverpool.
The second and third-placed teams appeared to have cancelled each other out in a midfield-dominated clash high on effort but short of goal chances.
In the 62nd minute Ferdinand cleared a Djibril Cisse effort off the line, Edwin van der Sar saved Harry Kewell's subsequent shot and Cisse blazed the rebound over the bar.
United snatched the points when Ryan Giggs curled in a free kick from the left and England's Ferdinand rose unchallenged to head past Pepe Reina to trigger wild Old Trafford celebrations.
The win takes United to 48 points and closed the gap to leaders Chelsea to 14 points after the champions were held to a 1-1 home draw by Charlton Athletic earlier.
United inflicted Chelsea's only league defeat of the season at Old Trafford in November. Liverpool stay third, four points behind United but with two games in hand.
United, without the injured Paul Scholes and Alan Smith in midfield, were largely devoid of creative ideas and relied solely on Wayne Rooney's talents up front to carve openings.
Liverpool were hampered by Cisse's inability to keep control of the ball when moving forward.
Only the irresistible Steven Gerrard seemed capable of lifting the game out of the doldrums and one brilliantly crafted pass from the midfielder saw Cisse, sporting a Mohican haircut, fail to make contact in front of goal.
United threatened just before half time with Ruud van Nistelrooy seeing his shot saved from Giggs's neat floated pass.
The Dutchman was also denied by Reina in the second half and Rooney went close with a shot that flew inches past the post before Ferdinand scored against a tiring Liverpool.
