Manchester United's [ Images ] last hopes of retaining the English premier league title ended when Danny Murphy converted a second-half penalty to give Liverpool a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday.

With Arsenal [ Images ] hoping to clinch the title on Sunday when they play Tottenham Hotspur [ Images ], Saturday's focus was the battle for European football and premier league survival.

Fourth-placed Liverpool edged closer to a place in the Champions League [ Images ] qualifiers, while Leicester City's hopes of staying up suffered a bodyblow when Paul Dickov had a late penalty saved by England [ Images ] keeper David James [ Images ] in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City [ Images ].

United remained third on 71 points with three games left as they chase Chelsea [ Images ] (72) and Arsenal (81) after a rash challenge by defender Gary Neville [ Images ] brought down Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard [ Images ] in the area and Murphy converted the spot kick.