Late delight for the red half of Manchester was contrasted with last gasp despair for the reigning Premier League champions as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side secured a vital three points against bitter rivals Liverpool while rivals Manchester City will feel they dropped two points against Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It was by no means plain sailing for Manchester United despite having a man advantage for over half the game after Jonjo Shelvey saw red for a challenge on Jonny Evans just before half-time.

Steven Gerrard broke the deadlock but a rare Rafael strike and a somewhat more predictable Robin van Persie winner means United have assumed pole position as far as the odds are concerned, priced as they are at 13/8 (2.63) with .

The season is bound to be full of twists and turns. The tag of favourites may be passed between the two sides many times before the destination of the trophy is actually decided but United’s resilience will be encouraging for pre-season backers as well as those who have decided now is the time to take the plunge at 13/8 (2.63).

City have been pushed out to an industry best 15/8 (2.88) with to retain their Premier League title ahead of Chelsea (4/1) and Arsenal (8/1) before the two London clubs clash at Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Manchester clubs dominate the top goalscorer betting too. Robin van Persie is 5/2 (3.50) favourite with while Carlos Tevez’s scoring return to the Manchester City first team have seen him priced at 7/1 (8.0) second favourite with the same firm – that’s an industry best price, too.

Fernando Torres is available at 8/1 (9.0) while Sergio Aguero, who made his return to Roberto Mancini’s starting line-up against Arsenal, is available at 14/1 (15.0) to finish as the top goalscorer in the division.

Jermain Defoe’s impressive start to the season means he’s available at 12/1 (13.0) and Lukas Podolski, who appears to have found his feet in north London, is a 20/1 (21.0) shot to claim the award in his first season in the Premier League.

Wayne Rooney’s injury-hit start to the campaign mean he is a 20/1 (21.0) shot while Luis Suarez (25/1), Nikica Jelavic (25/1) and Rickie Lambert (33/1) could be of interest to those in search of a value bet or each-way value.

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Jim Knight is Betting Editor at Goal.com and has been tipping football games since he was old enough to place a bet. He is a Leicester City fan, writer and member of the We Are Going Up Podcast
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Manchester United right-back Rafael has said his equalising goal in Sunday’s win against Liverpool was the best he has scored for the club.

The sublime 51st minute strike brought the Red Devils level after opposing skipper Steven Gerrard opened the scoring – and Rafael said it was the best in his four-year stint at Old Trafford.

He also acknowledged that the timing of the goal was key, after his side initially failed to press home the one-man advantage brought about by Jonjo Shelvey’s sending off in the first half.

“It’s definitely the best goal I’ve scored for United,” he told MUTV.

“It was a good moment to get it because it was so quick after they scored. If we hadn’t had scored then we might have got a little bit nervous so it was an important time to get the goal.”

The young right-back also reflected on the importance of picking up all three points despite a below-par performance, and of beating Liverpool at Anfield – a feat United have failed to achieve in the last five seasons.

“It’s a very important three points,” he added.

“It wasn’t a great performance from us but in the last five years we haven’t won here so we’re very pleased.”

Four men were arrested during the match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, Merseyside Police have confirmed.

Following the release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s findings, both clubs paid tribute to the 96 victims of the tragedy 23 years ago on a poignant day in the north-west, which passed largely without incident.

However, a 22-year-old man from Manchester was arrested inside the stadium on suspicion of breach of the peace and later bound over.
In addition, a 31-year-old man from Knutsford, a 22-year-old man from Doncaster and a 19-year-old man from Manchester were also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, theft and ticket touting and theft respectively. The latter two arrests were made outside the stadium and all three men were later released on bail pending further enquiries.

Following the match, there were reports of unsavoury behaviour and chanting between the two sets of supporters while the Manchester United fans were waiting to be allowed to leave the stadium.

Merseyside Police have subsequently confirmed that a man was ejected from the ground for making an offensive gesture in the direction of the away supporters after the final whistle.

The police also announced, however, that “no arrests were made for chanting and the game passed peacefully with the vast majority of the fans behaving impeccably throughout the game.”