Monday 23 March 2015 09:00, UK
Five talking points from Manchester United’s fiercely-contested 2-1 win at Anfield, which dented Liverpool’s hopes of overhauling their rivals for the fourth Champions League spot and saw Steven Gerrard sent off seconds after being introduced at half-time...
Gerrard sees red after 38 seconds
Steven Gerrard was praised for raising Liverpool’s tempo when he came on as a substitute at Swansea on Monday night. A crunching tackle moments after his half-time introduction against Manchester United on Sunday had the home fans at Anfield on their feet. However, just seconds later he was sensationally sent off for stamping on Ander Herrera.
“It’s not acceptable. There are no arguments with that. You can’t do that on a football pitch,” said former team-mate and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher after the final whistle.
It was the fastest sending-off since Opta began recording dismissal times in 2006/07 but the sight of Gerrard being shown a red in his final encounter with arch rivals United will live long in the memory. It was the Liverpool captain’s second red against the Old Trafford outfit in his career.
“Gerrard is an emotional player,” said Carragher, who pointed out that the midfielder has also twice been dismissed against local rivals Everton. “[That emotion] has taken teams I’ve played in to unbelievable moments – the FA Cup final win over West Ham, Istanbul. That wasn’t Gerrard playing with a cold, calculated head. That was him playing from the heart. But on the flipside of that, when he plays in games like this and he comes on, maybe a bit frustrated, that has contributed to the moment of madness.”
Gerrard was quick to issue a post-match apology, telling Sky Sports: “I've let my team-mates and manager down today and even more importantly I've let all the supporters down. I take full responsibility for my actions.” The skipper now faces a three-game ban – meaning he may just have five more appearances to make in a Liverpool shirt before his summer switch to the MLS.
Mata recaptures his old magic
Gerrard’s red card may grab the headlines but Juan Mata’s stunning scissor kick for his and Manchester United’s second will go down as one of the great goals scored in this fixture. “You just have to look at it and applaud,” said Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry. “It’s ridiculous what he did, especially here at Anfield.”
Mata’s opener – a clinical finish after getting the wrong side of Alberto Moreno – was his first since he scored against Liverpool in December. In between the Spaniard has struggled for form.
Substituted at half-time against QPR in mid-January the tricky attacker – who twice scooped Chelsea’s player of the year prize before being sold by Jose Mourinho in January 2014 – was subsequently cut from United’s starting XI for the next eight weeks before eventually returning to the first-team against Tottenham last Sunday.
Seven days on, it appears Mata – who was dropped from the Spain squad this week – has recaptured his old magic. “That’s his best performance for Manchester United. He’s been fantastic today,” said Gary Neville, as he awarded the two-goal hero the man of the match award.
The stats illustrate his leading role. Mata completed 86 per cent of his 43 passes in the opposition half, which was the best success rate of any attacker or midfielder on the pitch, while his total pass completion percentage of 91.8 was only bettered by team-mate Antonio Valencia (92).
Mata had more touches than any other midfielder or attacker at Anfield (93) and was fouled more times than any other player (three). He also combined effectively with right-back Valencia – the pair exchanged 55 passes, more than any other duo.
United strengthen hold on fourth
Liverpool had won 10 out of 13 in the Premier League since losing at Manchester United in December but their unbeaten run in 2015 is over and Louis van Gaal’s side appear to have struck a crucial blow in the race for a Champions League qualifying spot.
The victory moves United five points clear of their rivals and with in-form Arsenal next up for Liverpool – plus a trip to Stamford Bridge to come in May - Brendan Rodgers’ men have a huge task ahead of them if they are to finish in the top four once again.
It's not over yet, of course. United also have tough tests ahead, with a Manchester derby at Old Trafford in a fortnight, followed by their own trip to Chelsea and a home fixture with Arsenal on the penultimate weekend of the season. But United now have a cushion.
“Winning away here, we now have a gap to positions five, six and seven, which is very important,” said Van Gaal.
Van Gaal wins tactical battle
While Gerrard’s sending off handed the advantage to United in the second half, Van Gaal’s side had already shown in the opening 45 that they had arrived at Anfield with tactics capable of stalling Liverpool’s attacking talents, while a 1-0 advantage highlighted their own forward threat.
“United have been brilliant,” Carragher said at half-time, after the hosts had failed to register a single shot on target. “They’ve been so compact as a team. There’s been no space for Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho in there. You can’t play through them. United know exactly what they’re doing and they’ve come and done a brilliant job.”
Only Tottenham (twice) and Southampton have restricted Coutinho to fewer touches over 90 minutes (62), while Lallana was withdrawn at half-time after managing just 24.
Van Gaal admitted he was disappointed with United's second-half performance against ten men - in which Daniel Sturridge scored with Liverpool’s first shot on target - but he can take satisfaction from a tactical triumph when it was 11 v 11.
“In the first half we played very well, maybe better than the first half against Tottenham,” he said. “But in the second half we didn’t play very well because, as always when you play against 10 men, a lot of players forget to press and also to dribble with the ball, and that brought Liverpool into the game.”
Rooney not spot-on with penalties
Wayne Rooney had a golden opportunity to put the result beyond doubt and mark his 400th Premier League game in style when Daley Blind was brought down in the box by Emre Can in injury-time. However, after denying Mata a shot at a hat-trick, Rooney saw his spot-kick saved by Simon Mignolet.
The skipper’s frustration at the failure was evident – but Rooney’s 12-yard record is not what you’d expect from a man closing in on the goal-scoring records of Manchester United and England. Of the 18 players to have taken at least 20 penalties in the Premier League, Rooney’s record of 18 out of 26 ranks him third lowest in the standings.
Rooney's Premier League penalties
Missed v Liverpool, Mar 2015
Scored v Sunderland, Feb 2015
Scored v Norwich, Apr 2014
Scored v Aston Villa, Mar 2014
Scored v Tottenham, Dec 2013
Scored v Reading, Dec 2012
Missed v Arsenal, Nov 2012
Scored v Aston Villa, Apr 2012
Scored v QPR, Apr 2012
Scored v West Brom, Mar 2012
Scored v Chelsea, Feb 2012
Scored v Chelsea, Feb 2012
Missed v Bolton, Jan 2012
Missed v Chelsea, Sep 2011
Scored v Arsenal, Aug 2011
Scored v Blackburn, May 2011
Scored v West Ham, Apr 2011
Missed v Arsenal, Dec 2010
Scored v West Ham, Aug 2010
Missed v Liverpool, Mar 2010
Scored v Wolves, Dec 2009
Scored v Portsmouth, Nov 2009
Scored v Portsmouth, Nov 2009
Scored v Arsenal, Aug 2009
Missed v Aston Villa, Oct 2007
Missed v Crystal Palace, Dec 2004
