Liverpool beat Man United, still on pace for 38 wins from 38 Daniel Sturridge goals

With a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Anfield, Liverpool now have three wins from three Daniel Sturridge goals (each coming in the first half). It's the first time they have ever won all of their first three matches with three clean sheets to start a top-flight season in the club's history. Clearly this will continue to the end.

Daniel Sturridge, who only just joined the club in January, celebrated his 24th birthday with his fifth goal in all competitions this season (he scored twice in Liverpool 4-2 Capital One Cup win over Notts County, as well). And in doing so, has proven that Liverpool aren't as dependent on disloyal human biter Luis Suarez, who is still serving his latest ban, as they once were.

In addition to Sturridge's birthday mojo, Liverpool also had the added mystique of a pre-match celebration for what would have been legendary manager Bill Shankly's 100th birthday (which is actually September 2).

The quality of play in this edition of the north west derby won't be the subject of any sonnets. Man United played poorly coming off a 0-0 draw against Chelsea at Old Trafford and Liverpool will be thankful for Sturridge's brilliantly redirected header in just the 4th minute.

A perfect 38 wins from 38 Daniel Sturridge goals and 38 clean sheets might be a bit too much to expect from Liverpool this season, but they seem to be coming together in season two under Brendan Rodgers. With Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori finalizing deals and Victor Moses and Aly Cissokho joining on loan, an improvement on last season's seventh-place finish seems likely. Even if Sturridge somehow doesn't set a new scoring record.