3 Key Talking Points From Liverpool vs Manchester United
Juan Mata’s brace was overshadowed by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard’s sending off 38 seconds after coming on as a half-time substitute as Manchester United opened up a five point gap over Liverpool in the race for a Champions League place. Mata opened the scoring in the first half, with a composed finish with his right foot from a tight angle.Manchester United opened up a five point gap over Liverpool in the race for a Champions League place. Mata opened the scoring in the first half, with a composed finish with his right foot from a tight angle.
Adam Lallana missed a wonderful chance to draw level before half-time and it was he who gave way for Gerrard after the interval. But the central midfielder’s last Northwest derby ended in agony as he was sent off for stamping Ander Herrera. Mata made matters worse by scoring a spectacular second goal with a scissor-kick on the hour mark. Although Daniel Sturridge pulled one back for the Reds, it wasn’t enough as the Red Devils ended the home side’s 13-game unbeaten league run.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
1. Heavy fallout likely from costly defeat
A home defeat to one of your rivals doesn’t look good, but the worry for the Reds is that the ramifications from the loss, go far beyond this game. Gerrard’s sending off within 38 seconds of his arrival as a second-half substitute means that the club will be without their captain for the next three games. While that isn’t a particularly huge loss, considering he has been out injured for the past month or so and they have coped very well in his absence, the Reds might just be without another key player if the FA decides to take retrospective action.
At the end of the game, when the referee blew his final whistle, David De Gea was writhing in pain after a bad challenge from Martin Skrtel. The Slovakian seems to have left his mark on the Spanish keeper with a stamp that went unpunished by the referee. But if the FA decide to take action on what is seemingly something the ref missed, the home side will be without their key central defender for at least a few games including the big game against Arsenal next weekend. His absence might force Brendan Rodgers to switch to a four-man defense and change the formation that has worked so well in the past few months.