Red Rebels: The New Manchester United

After returning to Manchester from Zurich, Ethan immediately threw himself into the club's Christmas programme, most of which centred on charity work, community events and giving something back to the supporters.

Beckham, now the reigning Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year winner, had to focus on preparing for the match against Liverpool, but Fernando Redondo returned to Manchester and took part in several of the club's activities.

As one of New Manchester United's ambassadors, Redondo also worked occasionally with the coaching staff. Whenever he was in Manchester and had the time, he would visit Newton Heath to watch training, offer advice to younger players and pass on some of the experience he had accumulated during his career.

The club's Christmas charity programme continued through Christmas Day.

That afternoon, Mourinho cancelled the scheduled training session and the entire first-team squad travelled to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where they visited patients and children who had to spend Christmas in hospital.

The players handed out presents, signed shirts and spent time speaking with families.

It had become one of the club's longest-running community traditions and formed part of New Manchester United's relationship with the hospital.

The programme undoubtedly strengthened the club's public image, but Ethan valued something else just as much. He wanted the players themselves to understand that representing New Manchester United meant more than simply winning football matches.

The next day, Liverpool arrived in Manchester.

Benítez's side had endured a difficult December.

Djibril Cissé had been injured first. Harry Kewell then suffered an injury serious enough to require surgery, while Milan Baroš picked up a minor problem in training.

Baroš travelled with the squad, but it remained uncertain whether he would be fit enough to play.

That forced Benítez to include young French forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle among his attacking options.

Most observers expected Liverpool to use Pongolle, Michael Owen and Luis García as a front three, with Dietmar Hamann, Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso forming the midfield behind them.

Ever since Benítez took charge at Anfield, New Manchester United's scouting department had monitored Liverpool closely.

Mourinho's staff paid particular attention to how Benítez was reshaping the team tactically.

For this match, Mourinho prepared specifically for Liverpool's preferred 4-3-3.

Ronaldo and Messi were instructed to stay high and attack the spaces around Liverpool's back four. Drogba's job was to occupy Sami Hyypiä and Jamie Carragher, while Kaká would continually move into the gaps around them.

Benítez liked his defensive line relatively high because it compressed the midfield and allowed Liverpool to challenge aggressively for second balls. Xabi Alonso's passing range then gave them a direct route towards Owen whenever possession was recovered.

Against many teams, it was an effective approach.

Against New Manchester United, it also carried obvious danger.

A high defensive line offered exactly the kind of space Mourinho's attackers wanted.

The warning signs appeared almost immediately.

Ronaldo and Messi repeatedly found room on the flanks, while Kaká's through balls and Beckham's diagonals caused Liverpool several early problems.

One attack ended with Kaká driving into the penalty area near the byline. Dudek rushed across to close the angle, so Kaká improvised, back-heeling the ball into the path of Essien.

Essien struck first time.

His shot flashed just wide.

Playing at home, New Manchester United were aggressive from the beginning. They constantly looked for opportunities to accelerate, and Liverpool's defence was forced into several desperate recoveries.

Even Hamann, Gerrard and Xabi Alonso struggled to prevent the Red Rebels from progressing through central midfield.

In the 29th minute, Liverpool briefly appeared to have escaped the pressure.

Messi received the ball on the right and tried to beat John Arne Riise, but the Norwegian defended well, won possession and immediately found Pongolle.

The young Frenchman accelerated down the left, cut inside and attempted to slip Owen through behind Curtis.

Terry had already read the pass.

He stepped across and intercepted cleanly.

Curtis collected the loose ball and played it immediately to Beckham.

The reaction inside the stadium was instant.

The newly crowned FIFA World Player of the Year had barely taken his first touch before the crowd rose in anticipation.

Beckham looked up and struck one of his trademark diagonals towards the left.

Ronaldo was already sprinting.

The Portuguese winger raced onto the pass, brought it under control without breaking stride and cut inside before Hyypiä could close him down.

Rather than carrying the ball any further, he slipped it into Drogba, who had moved towards him in support.

Drogba received with Carragher tight behind him and shaped as though he were about to turn.

Carragher reacted.

That was all Drogba needed.

Kaká had already burst past them.

Drogba laid the ball into his path, and the Brazilian guided a composed finish beyond Dudek.

1-0.

The whole move had taken only seconds.

Liverpool attacked.

New Manchester United intercepted.

Three passes later, the ball was in the net.

Speed, precision and ruthless efficiency.

After taking the lead, the Red Rebels reduced the tempo slightly and concentrated more heavily on midfield control.

Kaká dropped deeper at times to connect with Beckham and Essien, while Curtis stepped forward whenever the space appeared. Those movements repeatedly created an extra passing option and made it difficult for Liverpool's midfield three to press effectively.

On the touchline, Benítez looked increasingly frustrated.

He knew exactly what Liverpool lacked.

At Valencia, Pablo Aimar had given him a player capable of receiving the ball between midfield and attack, turning under pressure and carrying possession through congested areas.

Liverpool did not have an equivalent.

Gerrard was an exceptional player, but in Benítez's system he was not naturally suited to becoming the kind of attacking midfielder Aimar had been.

Benítez believed Gerrard could be devastating from the right, where his power and forward runs could be used more aggressively.

Alternatively, he could operate deeper alongside Xabi Alonso.

But Liverpool still lacked someone who could consistently receive possession between the lines and connect midfield with the forwards.

That was one reason rumours linking Aimar with Liverpool had grown stronger.

The Argentine had become increasingly unhappy at Valencia under Claudio Ranieri.

"I'm not enjoying this season," Aimar had admitted in an interview. "I don't understand why I'm not playing more, and the manager hasn't really explained it to me. It's obvious I'm not as important to his plans as I used to be."

He had then spoken warmly about Benítez.

"Rafa understands my game. If things don't improve here, Liverpool would obviously be an interesting possibility. I know how he wants football to be played, and he knows how to get the best out of me."

Reports suggested Liverpool had already made contact with Valencia.

That possibility could help Benítez in the future.

It did nothing for him at New Manchester United's stadium.

The first half ended 1-0.

Mourinho made no major changes during the interval.

Benítez did.

Liverpool's midfield three were told to sit deeper and reduce the space between the lines. The entire team dropped several yards, making the shape more compact and increasingly difficult to play through.

It worked.

At least initially.

New Manchester United's attacks became less fluid, while Liverpool left Owen high up the pitch in the hope of finding him quickly on the counter.

The problem was that Owen became increasingly isolated and repeatedly drifted offside against Terry and Curtis.

With Finnan, Hyypiä, Carragher and Riise protected by Hamann, Xabi Alonso and Gerrard, Liverpool had created a dense defensive block that New Manchester United could no longer dismantle using the same approach as in the first half.

Mourinho recognised it quickly.

He signalled from the touchline.

The Red Rebels changed their attacking structure.

Drogba stopped roaming as freely and positioned himself much more aggressively inside Liverpool's defensive line.

New Manchester United abandoned some of the fluid transitions that had defined the first half and began attacking more patiently around Liverpool's penalty area.

In that kind of match, Drogba became invaluable.

Under Mourinho, he had developed into a remarkably unusual centre-forward.

When the game was open, he could move, combine and create space for the three attacking players around him.

When opponents retreated into their own third, he became the fixed reference point of the entire attack.

He was not as clinical a finisher as Van Nistelrooy.

He did not possess Vieri's sheer physical dominance.

He was not as complete technically as Shevchenko.

He lacked Henry's acceleration and Ronaldo Nazário's close control.

Yet he could perform almost every role Mourinho demanded of a centre-forward.

He pressed.

He fought centre-backs.

He held the ball up.

He attacked crosses.

He created space.

And he never stopped working.

That tactical adaptability had made him indispensable.

Liverpool's partnership of Hyypiä and Carragher had been one of the strongest defensive pairings in the Premier League that season.

Even when Benítez's side struggled for results, the two centre-backs remained remarkably consistent.

Carragher in particular had flourished since being established permanently in central defence.

But against Drogba, they eventually made one mistake.

They allowed him half a yard.

In the 67th minute, Drogba received the ball with his back to goal and Hyypiä pressed tightly against him.

The Finnish defender tried to prevent him from turning.

Drogba simply leaned into him, protected the ball and forced enough space to swivel.

Then he shot.

The strike exploded off his boot.

Dudek reacted.

It did not matter.

The ball flew past him and into the net.

2-0.

Drogba celebrated furiously.

Against one of the strongest centre-back partnerships in England, he had imposed himself.

New Manchester United continued attacking, while Liverpool tried to respond.

But Owen, Pongolle and Luis García found almost no room against the Red Rebels' defence.

Instead, Liverpool began making increasingly costly mistakes as they pushed forward.

In the 76th minute, Essien intercepted possession in midfield and immediately played through the first line.

Messi collected the pass and accelerated beyond Riise.

Drogba charged through the centre.

Ronaldo sprinted forward on the opposite side.

Carragher moved across to confront Messi, but the 17-year-old kept the ball close, waited until the defender committed himself and then slipped a pass into the penalty area.

Drogba attacked it like a battering ram.

He powered ahead of Hyypiä and reached the ball first.

One touch.

The finish rolled past Dudek.

3-0.

Drogba wheeled away in celebration.

His second goal had effectively ended the contest.

Mourinho immediately began thinking about the next fixture.

Beckham came off.

Then Drogba.

Then Messi.

Liverpool finally found some space once the Red Rebels began managing the match rather than controlling it aggressively.

Owen took advantage of a defensive error, timed his run perfectly, escaped the offside trap and rounded Čech before finishing into the empty net.

3-1.

The final minutes became surprisingly open.

Liverpool pushed for another, while New Manchester United continued threatening whenever they recovered possession.

Neither side scored again.

The referee's whistle confirmed another major victory.

New Manchester United 3-1 Liverpool.

More importantly, the Red Rebels' unbeaten Premier League run now stood at 57 matches.

One more.

One more match without defeat would equal Fabio Capello's AC Milan record of 58.

And the next opponent appeared almost ideal.

Manchester City.

Keegan's side had already suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat against New Manchester United earlier in the season and were now hovering dangerously close to the relegation places.

Almost everyone assumed Mourinho's side would equal the record.

Then Manchester City suddenly sacked Kevin Keegan.

The news stunned English football.

There had been no obvious warning.

Only days earlier, Keegan had spoken publicly about using the upcoming derby to turn Manchester City's season around.

Now he was gone.

Reporters immediately descended on the club's offices seeking an explanation.

They received only a brief statement.

Manchester City would hold a press conference in two days.

Most journalists assumed the reason was obvious.

Results.

The Abu Dhabi-backed ownership had invested heavily, while Keegan had delivered little in return.

The 7-0 humiliation against New Manchester United had been bad enough.

Hovering near the relegation zone after that level of spending was worse.

Neither Khaldoon Al Mubarak nor Frank Arnesen could have been satisfied.

Two days later, Manchester City called the promised press conference.

Mubarak was there.

Arnesen was there.

And sitting beside them was Manchester City's new manager.

(To be continued.)