This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/22/five-talking-points-liverpool-manchester-united-steven-gerrard
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Five talking points from Liverpool versus Manchester United | Five talking points from Liverpool versus Manchester United |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Steven Gerrard’s moment of madness could cost Liverpool dear | Steven Gerrard’s moment of madness could cost Liverpool dear |
| Anfield roared in approval when the Liverpool captain announced his half-time introduction with a thunderous but clean challenge on Juan Mata straight from the restart. There were gasps of disbelief all around the stadium, however, when he followed up that challenge by stamping on Ander Herrera’s shin to earn a straight and indisputable red card from Martin Atkinson 38 seconds after entering the fray. Maybe it was the adrenaline of his final appearance against Manchester United, maybe it was pent-up frustration after being out of Liverpool’s starting XI or a reaction to the tackle that came in from the impressive Herrera, who knows? | Anfield roared in approval when the Liverpool captain announced his half-time introduction with a thunderous but clean challenge on Juan Mata straight from the restart. There were gasps of disbelief all around the stadium, however, when he followed up that challenge by stamping on Ander Herrera’s shin to earn a straight and indisputable red card from Martin Atkinson 38 seconds after entering the fray. Maybe it was the adrenaline of his final appearance against Manchester United, maybe it was pent-up frustration after being out of Liverpool’s starting XI or a reaction to the tackle that came in from the impressive Herrera, who knows? |
| What is clear is Gerrard’s recklessness has not only cost him a three-match ban, thereby making it even more difficult to end his Anfield career in the side before a possible FA Cup final appearance, but damaged his team in a fixture with serious ramifications for Champions League qualification. | What is clear is Gerrard’s recklessness has not only cost him a three-match ban, thereby making it even more difficult to end his Anfield career in the side before a possible FA Cup final appearance, but damaged his team in a fixture with serious ramifications for Champions League qualification. |
| Anfield could still be dealing with the fall-out when Gerrard is resident in Los Angeles should Liverpool’s first defeat since Old Trafford on 14 December make all the difference. | Anfield could still be dealing with the fall-out when Gerrard is resident in Los Angeles should Liverpool’s first defeat since Old Trafford on 14 December make all the difference. |
| And it may not be the only three-match ban from Anfield | And it may not be the only three-match ban from Anfield |
| David de Gea was rolling around in agony when Atkinson put the whistle to his mouth to blow for full time. When it sounded the United goalkeeper leapt to his feet and grabbed Martin Skrtel, sparking a post-match melee, before collapsing in pain once again. De Gea’s antics obviously did not go down well with the Kop but his anger was understandable after he was caught by the Slovakian defender’s studs as the pair closed in on a ball into the United box in stoppage time. It was not as blatant as Gerrard’s stamp on Herrera, and Brendan Rodgers claimed Skrtel made a genuine attempt to play the ball, but it was dangerous and a retrospective ban may well follow. The Football Association will await the referee’s match report and study video evidence of the incident before deciding whether Liverpool face a second costly suspension from this game. | David de Gea was rolling around in agony when Atkinson put the whistle to his mouth to blow for full time. When it sounded the United goalkeeper leapt to his feet and grabbed Martin Skrtel, sparking a post-match melee, before collapsing in pain once again. De Gea’s antics obviously did not go down well with the Kop but his anger was understandable after he was caught by the Slovakian defender’s studs as the pair closed in on a ball into the United box in stoppage time. It was not as blatant as Gerrard’s stamp on Herrera, and Brendan Rodgers claimed Skrtel made a genuine attempt to play the ball, but it was dangerous and a retrospective ban may well follow. The Football Association will await the referee’s match report and study video evidence of the incident before deciding whether Liverpool face a second costly suspension from this game. |
| Patience pays off for Juan Mata | Patience pays off for Juan Mata |
| The Spain international has been a high-profile victim of Van Gaal’s search for an effective system at United but is the main beneficiary of the formation that beat Tottenham impressively and now Liverpool to strengthen their top-four prospects. Mata produced two high-quality finishes to beat Simon Mignolet and claim a merited away win, the second an outstanding scissor-kick after laying the ball inside to Ángel Di María and immediately setting off on an intelligent run behind the Liverpool defence. Mata made that move several times during the game and, as well as prospering in front of goal, his willingness to stretch Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho helped ensure Liverpool were pegged back from the start. Rodgers’ team could not find momentum until they fell behind. | The Spain international has been a high-profile victim of Van Gaal’s search for an effective system at United but is the main beneficiary of the formation that beat Tottenham impressively and now Liverpool to strengthen their top-four prospects. Mata produced two high-quality finishes to beat Simon Mignolet and claim a merited away win, the second an outstanding scissor-kick after laying the ball inside to Ángel Di María and immediately setting off on an intelligent run behind the Liverpool defence. Mata made that move several times during the game and, as well as prospering in front of goal, his willingness to stretch Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho helped ensure Liverpool were pegged back from the start. Rodgers’ team could not find momentum until they fell behind. |
| Sterling not suited to right wing-back role | |
| Rodgers denied on Friday the impasse over a new contract was proving a distraction to Raheem Sterling or was a factor in the forward’s limited effectiveness in recent games. The argument was borne out here because it was clearly the 20-year-old’s position on the pitch that reduced his impact against Manchester United. Sterling was neither advanced enough or in possession of the ball in the right areas to trouble the visitors in the final third. Nor was he cut out for the defensive duties that the wing-back role required, with Marouane Fellaini’s willingness to drift out wide to the Liverpool right adding a physical problem for Sterling and Emre Can to deal with. Shifting Sterling forward for the second half in place of Adam Lallana was a move Rodgers had to make. | Rodgers denied on Friday the impasse over a new contract was proving a distraction to Raheem Sterling or was a factor in the forward’s limited effectiveness in recent games. The argument was borne out here because it was clearly the 20-year-old’s position on the pitch that reduced his impact against Manchester United. Sterling was neither advanced enough or in possession of the ball in the right areas to trouble the visitors in the final third. Nor was he cut out for the defensive duties that the wing-back role required, with Marouane Fellaini’s willingness to drift out wide to the Liverpool right adding a physical problem for Sterling and Emre Can to deal with. Shifting Sterling forward for the second half in place of Adam Lallana was a move Rodgers had to make. |
| Marouane Fellaini again shows his worth to United | Marouane Fellaini again shows his worth to United |
| The towering Belgian’s presence off the United attack has invited criticism of Louis van Gaal for going too direct, and it offered the visitors a get-out they were willing to use, but Fellaini’s dominant first-half performance was not based solely on his prowess in the air. The ex-Everton midfielder was first to every 50-50 tackle, passed sharply, held the play up well and worked tirelessly to press Liverpool not only on their right flank but in central midfield. In this formation, and with Liverpool always looking to take an early grip on games at Anfield, David Moyes’ £27m signing was key to United turning the tables on Rodgers’ team until the 10 men staged an impressive response. “We beat Liverpool again with their own weapons,” said Van Gaal on United’s relentless pressing before half-time. | The towering Belgian’s presence off the United attack has invited criticism of Louis van Gaal for going too direct, and it offered the visitors a get-out they were willing to use, but Fellaini’s dominant first-half performance was not based solely on his prowess in the air. The ex-Everton midfielder was first to every 50-50 tackle, passed sharply, held the play up well and worked tirelessly to press Liverpool not only on their right flank but in central midfield. In this formation, and with Liverpool always looking to take an early grip on games at Anfield, David Moyes’ £27m signing was key to United turning the tables on Rodgers’ team until the 10 men staged an impressive response. “We beat Liverpool again with their own weapons,” said Van Gaal on United’s relentless pressing before half-time. |