Forget the Dog and Duck and Red Lion; this was a game not of two inns but of one keeper. Making good use of the bar at one point, David de Gea was magnificent in Manchester United’s goal, denying Liverpool with four saves of the highest quality, including one remarkable push on to the woodwork.
De Gea’s brilliance, helping United reclaim third spot, further highlighted Liverpool’s flaws, their lack of belief and cutting edge amid the sense of a season unraveling at speed.
In Gary Neville’s tongue-in-cheek billing of this 163rd league meeting between the nation’s most famous sides as a collision of pub teams, De Gea was landlord of all he surveyed but Liverpool must not use the Spaniard’s impersonation of the Sierra Nevada as an excuse.
They made too many mistakes here and were punished. They gave so much room to Antonio Valencia, United’s wing-back, that he could have organised tours down the right without being disturbed.
Liverpool’s manager, Brendan Rodgers, is not yet in the last-chance saloon as the club’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group, are too sensible to make a kneejerk decision on his future in mid-season.
The Stretford End chanted “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and the bookmakers cut his odds for the sack but Rodgers will surely be allowed to see the season out, deserving some patience following last season’s prominence.
This is a time for the club to stand firm, to rally together, finding a tougher streak. A central midfield of a fading heavyweight in Steven Gerrard and lightweight in Joe Allen was not truly going to trouble opponents.
Wayne Rooney and, following a shaky start, Marouane Fellaini, were too strong for Liverpool in the centre. Liverpool risk the accusation of becoming soft. They have nice players, not the robust winners of old.
Their trip to Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday now acquires even greater significance, even resembling an ambush. Liverpool cannot afford to lose that, having been embarrassed here at the home of their greatest rivals, five days after bowing out of the Champions League.
United were hardly imperious, giving the ball away to the frustration of their manager, Louis van Gaal, who said that his first question at training next will be “why?”
His team were hardly at their best, but were still too good for the visitors, attacking brutally on the break, bringing goals for Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie, taking them to within five points of Manchester City and eight of leaders Chelsea.
They enjoyed powerful displays from Michael Carrick at centre-half, Valencia and Rooney as well as the outstanding De Gea, who secured United’s first clean sheet in their past 13 league meetings with Liverpool. United need to sort out a new, improved contract for De Gea, whose current deal expires in 18 months. He’s not in Manuel Neuer’s class yet but he’s close, certainly as a shot-stopper.
Assisted by De Gea, United have now won six on the spin without fully hitting their stride. They are clearly on the rise under Van Gaal while Liverpool have endured a torrid few months. Historians do not need to conduct the deepest research to uncover the reasons for Liverpool’s decline (if not fall).
When Rodgers’ side last visited Old Trafford, they prevailed 3-0 in the middle of a nine-game winning run that seemed to be sweeping them on a tide of emotion towards a 19th title but then individual mistakes, such as Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea, and Glen Johnson’s poor marking against Crystal Palace, cost them dear.
The loss of Luis Suarez was partly offset by a swelled transfer kitty but the money has been largely squandered, the approach of quantity over quality backfiring. The love of Money Ball remains an internal wrecking ball at Liverpool.
Adding to Liverpool’s slide is that Gerrard retreats further into the twilight zone. Daniel Sturridge’s injuries have deprived Gerrard of a target and the out-of-sorts Raheem Sterling of an ally.
Mario Balotelli appears to have done little for unity. In fairness to the Italian, he tried hard when he came on at half-time but his negative body language, his continual throwing his arms in the air on being thwarted, hardly helps the team. Liverpool players, some locked in their own personal battles with elusive form, must look at Balotelli and wonder whether he understands the team concept.
Rodgers must accept some culpability. His decision to start Gerrard and Sterling on the bench at Real Madrid on Nov 4 transmitted a message of inferiority and surely annoyed players who had worked so hard for that gilded opportunity.
His team-sheet here immediately raised concerns, not least Sterling as a false No 9, a role he lacks the experience or physicality for. Rodgers also gambled in dropping the admittedly occasionally error-prone Simon Mignolet for the inexperienced Brad Jones, who was unconvincing when United came calling. One shudders to imagine Mignolet’s state of mind. Steve Peters could be busy.
Liverpool actually started promisingly, pressing hard, almost scoring after 11 minutes through Sterling, who was defied by De Gea, spreading himself like a sinewy Peter Schmeichel. Liverpool’s heads fell, disappointed at the miss, losing concentration. United sensed their chance, countering quickly.
Valencia began the move, passing to Mata, and then tearing down the right, soon collecting the ball which had been moved on by Van Persie. Valencia nutmegged Allen, cut the ball back, and Rooney finished unerringly from on the edge of the area.
Rodgers’ side briefly responded. Sterling teed up Gerrard, whose shot was simple for De Gea. Sterling turned Phil Jones and brought a good save from De Gea at the near-post. The bookings continued to rack up, eventually totaling seven, in a match that was a walk on the mild side compared to previous fixtures.
Carrick was performing with admirable composure at centre-half, back-heeling the ball away from Sterling to James Wilson to the whooping delight of the United fans. Their noise increased five minutes from the break. Ashley Young beat Jordan Henderson, and crossed from the left. The leaping Van Persie flicked the ball on to Mata, who was in an offside position.
Mike Mullarkey, a veteran of Champions League and World Cup finals, clearly felt Van Persie had not touched the ball and kept his flag down as Mata headed in. Mistake.
As United celebrated, as social media devoured footage of the incident, Liverpool players did not appeal, did not vent any anger. They accepted the injustice, a worrying sign for Rodgers as he seeks fight in his players. He would also have every right to question his players’ marking of Mata too.
As the half-time whistle went, the Manchester City legend Franny Lee delivered a scathing verdict. “2 very moderate teams here both giving the ball away for fun,’’ tweeted Lee. Slightly harsh but he had a point.
United were progressing untroubled to the three points. After De Gea frustrated Sterling in another one-on-one, and then pushed Balotelli’s close-range strike on to the bar, United added a third in the 72nd minute, again from a breath-taking counter-attack, again exploiting a mistake.
Jonny Evans started the move on the left, picking out Mata in the middle and the little Spaniard wriggled forward before finding Rooney, whose cross was half-cleared by Dejan Lovren. Seizing on the loose ball, Mata coolly picked out Van Persie, whose left foot did the rest.
The game briefly became Balotelli versus De Gea, with the Spaniard winning comfortably, making two more magnificent saves. United then began a long passing move amidst a series of “ole”, sweet music for Van Gaal but a mocking sound for Rodgers.
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