Premier League scores as they happened - Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United, Hull 2-3 Chelsea

Chelsea extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points again. Jose Mourinho's side threw away a two goal lead in the first half and were made to work hard to find a third, but they have taken a step closer to the Premier League title.

FULL TIME:

Hull City 2-3 Chelsea

Steve Bruce makes all three changes at once, with Sone Aluko, Stephen Quinn and Robbie Brady coming on for Andrew Robertson, David Meyler and Gaston Ramirez.

Before that goal, Juan Cuadrado was preparing to come on. Since then, Kurt Zouma has come on instead to replace Willian. Oh, Jose.

Chelsea have their lead back! A neat move down the right involving Ivanovic, Oscar and Willian sees the Brazilian cut into the box and the lay the ball up perfectly for Remy. He scuffs his shot somewhat, driving it straight at McGregor, but the ball somehow gets through the Hull goalkeeper and trickles across the line.

Goal! Hull 2-3 Chelsea (Loic Remy)

Courtois saves Chelsea with three saves in succession! El Mohammedy is picked out in acres of space inside the right of the box, but his lashed effort is batted away by the Belgian. The ball then falls to Livermore on the edge of the box but he too sees his drive palmed away. Gaston Ramirez is next in the queue but his half volley is again saved.

Fabregas comes within inches of putting Chelsea back in front! Hazard is integral again, coming in from the right to play a one two with Willian before cutting the ball back to Spaniard who can only sweep his shot wide.

And we are back underway for the second half at the KC Stadium.

Half time at the KC and Hull have come roaring back after going 2-0 down against Chelsea. Steve Bruce's side have been the better of the two since Abel Hernandez's equaliser which was an absolute gift from Thibaut Courtois.

HALF TIME:

Hull 2-2 Chelsea

And Hull are level! And it's an absolute howler from Thibaut Courtois, as he recieves back pass from Ivanovic under pressure, only to play it straight into the feet of Hernandez, who rolls the ball into an empty net.

Goal! Hull City 2-2 Chelsea (Abel Hernandez)

Hull pull one back! The full backs combine as Robertson slips past Ivanovic and Willian down the left and drills a wonderful ball across the box for Ahmed Elmohamady, who is arriving from the right to sweep home.

Goal! Hull City 1-2 Chelsea (Ahmed Elmohamady)

Hernandez also scampers inbetween Ivanovic and Terry and almost gets on the end of a long ball from Livermore. The striker however fails ton judge the bounce of the ball and Courtois can come out and collect.

Hull City win a free kick right on the edge of the box as Hernandez is felled by Cahill. D'Doye takes it and whips an effort over the wall and for the bottom corner, but Courtois again makes a fine save. Hull have gone two down in no time here but are still providing some attacking threat.

Chelsea are cruising here. Fabregas turns to face goal and knocks a ball out to his left for Costa to chase down. The Spain striker cuts inside the box, and using Dawson as a shield to block the goalkeeper's view, curls a wonderful effort into the far corner from a very difficult angle.

Goal! Hull 0-2 Chelsea (Diego Costa)

Hull denied an equaliser by Courtois! A long ball over the top is nodded on by N'Doye and over the Chelsea backline, springing Abel Hernandez free who was being played on by Ivanovic. He's one-on-one with the Chelsea goalkeeper coming in from the right as he smashed one on target, but he is denied by the sturdy frame of the Belgian.

What a start from Chelsea! Diego Costa lays the ball off for Hazard on the edge of the area and the Belgian smashes a wonderful effort across McGregor into the back of the net.

Goal! Hull City 0-1 Chelsea (Eden Hazard)

Our focus now shifts to the KC Stadium where Hull City are hosting Chelsea. Kick off is minutes away.

United take all three points and Liverpool are defeated for the first time in December. What an astonishing game that was and Louis van Gaal's side tighten their grip on fourth place, five points clear of Liverpoo.

The match ends on a sour note as De Gea and Skrtel square up, with the Spaniard accusing the defender of leaving a boot in on him in the final chance of the game. Replays suggest he had a point.

FULL TIME:

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United

No sentiment from Louis van Gaal there, Juan Mata wasn't even asked about taking the penalty. Maybe he should of, Rooney's was pretty rubbish.

SAVED! Rooney takes the penalty and its a poor one, at a comfortable height for Mignolet to bat away.

Blind plays a neat one two with di Maria and is bundled over by Can in the box. Martin Atkinson has no hesitation and points to the spot.

PENALTY - Manchester United

United keeping the ball when in these closing minutes.

Four minutes of time added on. Di Maria comes down the left at pace but is easily dispossessed by Can.

United come forward in numbers with di Maria, Falcao, Mata and Valencia all forward but the move comes to nothing.

Fellaini, who has been excellent today, makes another important clearance with a firm header and United can counter.

Coutinho tries to break away but is clipped by Rooney. Free kick to Liverpool, but it is a good 40 yards out from goal.

Falcao relieves a little pressure on his side, getting his body across Joe Allen before being fouled. United can clear with four minutes of the match remaining.

Di Maria reads a header back to Mignolet from Can and is almost able to creep in. Rooney almost forces the Belgian into another error but he does well to slip away and clear the ball.

Change for United as Radamel Falcao enters the fray, replacing Ander Herrera. Rooney to drop deep then?

United are inviting Liverpool forward now, they seem to have lost interest in scoring goals. Fellaini does well to intercept Coutinho in the box and Liverpool have a corner. The big Belgian again does well to win the ball and get it back to De Gea.

Balotelli was held back by his own fans as he looked to get into the face of Smalling in that incident a moment ago. Brilliant.

Balotelli and Smalling clash as the United defender ushers the ball out of play with the Italian ending up in a heap in front of his own fans. They share a few choice words but no action is taken.

Di Maria has had a bit of a stinker since coming on. Aside from that ball to find Mata for his second, his passing has been utterly woeful.

Balotelli drives an effort into the wall and United's defenders can watch Can's follow up attempt swerve out of play.

Liverpool are coming here. Sterling outmuscles Mata on the wing and feeds the ball into the path of Sturridge who is fouled by Smalling. Free kick to Liverpool, Balotelli is standing over it about 30 yards out from goal.

Rooney's trailing leg appeared to catch Mignolet in that incident, causing the Belgian to go down. The United skipper is booked, much to the fury of the home side who wanted more.

United win a free kick near the corner flag on the left which di Maria will whip in. Mignolet does well to punch away and does well again when Valencia lifts it back in, but goes down awkwardly on his ankle in the process.

Liverpool pull one back! Daley Blind is sleeping and Henderson is able to thread a ball through for Daniel Sturridge, who has crept into space in the right of box. He takes a touch and lashes a powerful shot, that may have picked up a deflection, straight past De Gea. Comeback on?

Goal! Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United (Daniel Sturridge)

Balotelli, minutes after coming on, is shown a yellow card for stupidly scraping his studs down the back of the calf of Phil Jones. Instant impact.

Mignolet almost gets himself in an awful lot of trouble, trying to take the ball around Rooney but he just about gets away with it.

Change for Liverpool, Mario Balotelli enters the fray and replaces Moreno, whose had a poor game.

Liverpool are all over the shop now. Di Maria is acres of space as he races down the left and plays a ball into the box with Rooney free, but his pass has too much on it and the chance is gone. Mata was racing into the box too, hat-tricking-hunting.

What a sensational goal from Juan Mata! Di Maria, on the edge of D, dinks a delicious pass out to his right for Mata, whose broken free inside the box. The ball is just behind him, but that doesn't matter, the Spaniard connects with an absolutely astonishing scissored volley, finding the bottom left corner. It's an absolutely ridiculous goal.

Goal! Liverpool 0-2 Manchester United (Juan Mata)

Angel di Maria meanwhile has come on for Young, and his first involvement is catching a ball while its still in play, anticipated a throw in to be rewarded. Liverpool win the free kick.

United create a problem for themselves and Blind is dispossessed on the half way line by Henderson. He knocks the ball forward but is hacked down by a poor challenge from Jones. The Anfield crowd bellow for a red card, but just a yellow is shown.

Coutinho picks the ball up in midfield and turns to drive at goal. Herrera tries to keep with him, but the Brazilian lets fly with a shot from 30 yards that sails over the bar. He's more than entitled to have a go at those, given the rate he's been smashing them in recently.

Sterling drifts in from left, drawing Valencia across before whipping a decent cross into the box for Sturridge. It';s just too high for the striker however and the ball sails out of play,.

Anyway, back to the football match. Liverpool have responded quite well to that, pressing United well despite the one man disadvantage.

Steven Gerrard's final match against Manchester United at Anfield and he lasted 30 seconds. A fully deserved red.

Herrera by the way was also booked for his challenge.

Steven Gerrard has been shown a straight a minute after coming off the bench! The skipper marks his introduction with a crunching challenge on Mata, forcing Herrera to seek a bit of retribution. He slides in on Gerrard, a foul in itself, but the Reds captain stamps down on the Spaniard on the follow through as the referee has no hesitation in showing the red. Absolutely sensational.

RED CARD - Steven Gerrard

And we are back underway for the second half with Steven Gerrard entering the fray, replacing Adam Lallana.

United's best start to a game at Anfield in some time sees them take a 1-0 lead into half time. At times, Louis van Gaal's side have absolutely dominated the game and while Liverpool did become a threat as the half went on, their lead is a fairly comfortable one and fully deserved.

HALF TIME:

Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United (Juan Mata)

Sterling momentarily takes his eye off the ball and connects with fresh air. He's had a frustrating first half.

Two minutes of time added on at Anfield.

Chris Smallingbauer this time carries the ball upfield and reaches the edge of the box before drilling a ball into the box but Liverpool can clear.

Mata again does excellently down the left, hustling Moreno into a mistake before lifting a pass in for the onrushing Valencia. He sneaks up the byline but Mata is offside when the ball breaks to him.

Five minutes of the first half left.

Liverpool have woken up here. They are beginning to win a few 50-50s and are putting United under real pressure. Henderson again gets on the ball and tries to curl a pass through for Coutinho but De Gea is again quickly off his line and knocks clear. Herrera picks the ball up and wins a free kick for his side.

My, that was close. Liverpool almost equalise against the run of play through their best moment of the game. Out on the right, Henderson swings an excellent cross into the box to Sturridge who has edged clear of his man. Instead of shooting, he knocks it back across goal into the path of Lallana who pings a first time effort on goal. De Gea is beaten, but the shot is off target.

Smalling swings a sublime long ball out to the left for Young, who takes the ball down on his chest before scooping a pass through for the onrushing Fellaini. There's too much on his pass however and Mignolet can come out and clear.

A slip from Joe Allen invites Rooney to shoot from distance but his shot is charged down and Liverpool can come forward. Henderson switches play and frees Moreno down the left, but his cross is too close to De Gea and the goalkeeper collects.

Liverpool come forward and manage to free Sterling down the inside right but Young marshalls him well and wins the ball. He feels he is clipped as he carries the ball to safety but the ref waves play on and Liverpool come again, but Smalling does well to read a through ball and clears.

A slip at the back almost allows Sturridge through but De Gea is alert and out of his box to clean up. United launch another attack through that with Daley Blind working his way down the left before winning a corner.

Wait, they have now, Daniel Sturridge fouls Smalling and United win the free kick.

Liverpool haven't touched the ball in a few minutes.

Oof! Phil Jones smashes into Adam Lallana in an attempt to win a header and lands heavily on the Liverpool midfielder. Free kick for the home side.

Allen is caught in possession by Herrera and clips the Spaniard as he slips past him. United are awarded the free kick and the Welshman is booked.

Rooney loses possession in the middle of the park and Can powers past him. Smalling initially does well to stop him but Liverpool maintain the pressure. Henderson switches play, lifting a ball over to Sturridge who has broken away inside the box and takes on an incredibly difficult volley from an impossible angle but gets it all wrong.

United have the lead! After a brilliant spell of possession, Herrera threads an excellent ball through for Juan Mata who has slipped in behind Moreno on the inside right channel. On his weaker foot, the Spaniard finds the far corner with an excellent finish.

Goal! Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United (Juan Mata)

That fantastic spell of possession ends as Herrera lifts a cross field ball across goal for Fellaini to latch onto. He nods across goal with Mata coming in at the far post but the Spaniard hesitates, perhaps put off by the run of Rooney, and the ball rolls out of play.

United are comfortably moving the ball around at the minuter with Carrick pulling the strings from deep.

Mata launches the ball into the box but Liverpool immediately counter. Fortunately for United, Carrick is back to make a timely interception and take the sting out of the attack.

Free kick to United about 40 yards out as Moreno makes an error and gives the foul away.

Henderson plays a long ball looking to free Lallana down the inside right channel but Phil Jones tracks the run well and hooks the ball out to safety.

Raheem Sterling creeps in behind Blind and cuts in from the right, drawing Phil Jones across to make the tackle. He doesn't get there in time however, with the Liverpool forward knocking the ball through his legs but De Gea is out quickly to smother the ball.

Good start from United as Rooney is fed down the left channel, forcing Skrtel across top clear for a corner. It comes in but Mignolet punches away and Liverpool clear.

United immediately launch the ball straight forward to Fellaini who straight away looks to put Emre Can under pressure down his left. The away side win a corner out of it but the Belgian can't keep the ball in play.

And we are off and underway in front of a rocking Anfield crowd.

And the teams are out on the Anfield pitch. Almost ready to go...

After Arsenal, Tottenham and Southampton all won on Saturday, the race for the top four has tightened up considerably. A win for Liverpool this afternoon will see them leapfrog United into fourth place with eight games remaining and with a trip to Arsenal to come after the international break, a result today could be vital.

Here's another reminder of those line ups. Kick off 20 minutes away.

Sir Alex Ferguson has arrived at Anfield. No pressure, Louis...

With Luke Shaw not on the United bench this afternoon, does that rule him out of contention for England's upcoming games with Lithuania and Italy?

Steven Gerrard, in what will be his last game against United as Liverpool player, will start on the bench. The Reds skipper hasn't started a game since the February victory over Tottenham due to injury and came off the bench to play 25 minutes but you can bet on him making an appearance at some point this afternoon.

Luke Shaw is not fit enough for the United bench but Marcos Rojo is. Angel di Maria and Victor Valdes are also back among the subs.

So that's United unchanged from the side that thrashed Tottenham a week ago in what was arguably their best performance of the season.

Likewise for Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has selected the same XI that beat Swansea City last time out. Raheem Sterling and Alberto Moreno provide the width with Daniel Sturridge leading the attack.

BREAKING: Juan Mata starts, Angel di Maria left out of Louis van Gaal's starting XI.

Manchester United to face Liverpool: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young, Rooney

Subs: Valdes, Rafael, Rojo, Di Maria, Januzaj, A Pereira, Falcao

BREAKING: Steven Gerrard starts on the bench as Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson continue in midfield.

Liverpool team to face Manchester United: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Sakho, Henderson, Allen, Moreno, Sterling, Lallana, Coutinho, Sturridge

Subs: Jones, Johnson, Toure, Gerrard, Lambert, Lucas, Balotelli

Jonny Evans also remains unavailable for United; he remains suspended for another five games before he is back in contention. The partnership of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling is expected to continue at the back.

For Liverpool, Mario Balotelli is available again having recovered from illness that ruled him out of the Swansea victory last Monday. Lucas Leiva is also back in contention having recovered from a groin injury, but this afternoon's game may be too soon for him to make his return.

Louis van Gaal revealed on Friday he does not expect either Luke Shaw or Marcos Rojo to start this afternoon with Daley Blind likely to continue at left back.

Angel di Maria is once again available after serving his suspension, but after Juan Mata's excellent performance last Sunday, will he come straight back into the side?

Robin van Persie remains out.

When Manchester United inflicted an emphatic 3-0 win over their arch rivals at Old Trafford last December, they had no idea that would be the result to reignite Liverpool's season. Since that defeat, Brendan Rodgers' side are undefeated in 13 games, winning 10 of those. An uncertain defence that was widely questioned at the beginning of the campaign now stands as one of the strongest in the league, having not conceded an away goal in their last six games.

All of that would have been seriously bad news for Louis van Gaal's side, had they not suddenly remembered how to play football against Tottenham last Sunday. Their best performance of the season breathed life into their faltering campaign, and left us perfectly poised for this afternoon's match.

Kick off is just over an hour away, we will have team news with you as soon as it reaches us.