Steven Gerrard's double kept Liverpool's slim title hopes alive with a 3-0 victory at West Ham on Saturday, but Manchester United could still have retained its title by the time the Reds next play.
The Liverpool captain rolled the ball into an open net inside two minutes and added another in the 38th, slotting in the rebound after having a penalty saved. Substitute Ryan Babel rounded off the victory in the 84th. The win moves Liverpool back atop the Premier League standings, although it only leads United on goal difference with the defending champions having two games in hand.
If the Red Devils beat Manchester City on Sunday, Wigan on Wednesday and take at least a point off Arsenal next Saturday, they will have matched Liverpool's haul of 18 titles by capturing a third straight title. Liverpool plays West Bromwich Albion next Sunday.
Saturday's match at Upton Park was just the 12th time that Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres started a Premier League match together this season, and it took just 76 seconds for the duo, who have struggled with injuries, to rip through West Ham's defense.
Returning after a recurrence of hamstring problems, Torres slipped the ball beyond the back four through to Gerrard. The England midfielder was onside and able to skip around Robert Green before coolly slotting home.
But Liverpool then eased off, and striker Diego Tristan was able to test goalkeeper Pepe Reina with a glancing header. Reina came off his line in the 27th to meet Mark Noble's free kick and was beaten in the air by Radoslav Kovac, but the Czech's header had too much elevation.
Ten minutes after that missed chance to equalize, the Hammers fell further behind. Their former midfielder, Yossi Benayoun, lofted the ball over the defense and Luis Boa Morte dragged Torres down in the penalty area.
While Gerrard's spot kick was saved by the diving Robert Green, the midfielder raced forward in time to meet the rebound. Jamie Carragher then made a mistake two minutes before the break that nearly gifted the home side a goal. The stalwart defender gave the ball away, allowing David di Michele to seize possession.
But with only Reina to beat, Di Michele tripped over his own feet while trying to round the Spaniard. Believing he had been tripped, Di Michele appealed for a penalty only to receive a yellow card instead for diving.
There was still time in the half for Torres send a looping header wide. Liverpool pushed for a third in the second half, with Benayoun volleying over, Torres sending another header above the target, and Dirk Kuyt denied by the onrushing Green before the goal finally came.
With six minutes remaining, Gerrard took the ball out of his own half and dispatched it to Kuyt on the right flank.
The Netherlands forward crossed to his compatriot Babel, and while the initial downward header was parried by Green, he found the net with the rebound to score a goal that gives Liverpool a six-goal advantage over United.
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