Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool: Reds humiliate Moyes’ men to go second
A Steven Gerrard brace and late Luis Suarez goal saw Liverpool humiliate Manchester United at Old Trafford, with the Reds reclaiming second place in the Premier League from Manchester City.
Both of Gerrard’s goals came from the spot, and the Liverpool captain had a chance to make it a hat-trick of penalties late in the game, but despite sending David de Gea the wrong way, his third effort from 12 yards hit the upright.
Brendan Rodgers sprang some surprises in his initial line-up, playing Raheem Sterling centrally behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, and fielding Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan on the opposite flanks from their habitual positions.
David Moyes had no such answers in a tactical capacity, but did make an alteration to his starting line-up, bringing Nemanja Vidic back into the United side at the expense of Chris Smalling, who had partnered Phil Jones in the Red Devils’ 3-0 victory over West Brom last week.
Liverpool started the brighter and more threatening of the sides, foreshadowing the pattern of play of the entire game, with United only occasionally showing danger in fits and spurts.
In keeping with their habit of scoring frequently in the first half this season, the Reds opened their account with just over half an hour gone. Suarez picked up a lofted ball from Daniel Sturridge in the United box and attempted to play it across the face of goal, only for Rafael to raise his arm and block its trajectory.
Mark Clattenburg awarded a penalty, but in truth should probably have sent the full back off, with the Brazilian already on a yellow card after an earlier foul on Steven Gerrard.
It was Gerrard who then converted the first of three penalties on the day, thumping the ball into the top left corner as De Gea dived to the right, and it proved to be the only goal of the first 45 minutes. The one goal deficit didn’t last long, however.
Less than a minute into the second half Jordan Henderson found the diagonal run of Joe Allen in the United area, and after Phil Jones bundled the Welshman to the ground, Clattenburg again pointed to the spot. Gerrard duly obliged by placing the ball in the right corner of the net this time, his precision enough to beat De Gea who managed to dive the right way.
Having not conceded a goal from a penalty at Old Trafford since New Year’s Eve 2011, United had now conceded two in the same game, and it could have been much worse. In the 76th minute Daniel Sturridge drove into the Red Devils’ box past Nemanja Vidic, and after the striker tumbled to the ground the big Serb was sent off for a second bookable offence. Replays showed that the contact was minimal at best, if there was contact at all.
Gerrard failed to make it a hat-trick of penalties from the subsequent spot-kick, hitting the post after beating De Gea, but for United the damage was already done. With a full team the Red Devils had struggled, with one man less they were out of the game.
De Gea momentarily spared them from more embarrassment in the 82nd minute, denying Suarez brilliantly from a close-range volley, but even the Spaniard’s efforts couldn’t prevent a third goal. A few minutes later, Suarez again ghosted into the box through the space freed up by Vidic’s absence, and this time the Uruguayan placed the ball perfectly in the back of the net.
When the final whistle went Brendan Rodgers celebrated contentedly, his Reds not only reaffirming their Premier League title credentials, but humiliating their biggest rivals in the same stroke. Gerrard will perhaps rue missing out on a hat-trick, but with a genuine chance of claiming his first Premier League winner’s medal this season, the Liverpool captain is unlikely to lose any sleep.