3 Key Talking Points From Liverpool vs Manchester United (1-2): Moyes’ Signings Starting To Show Their Worth

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

Gerrard

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.

2. Moyes’ signings starting to show their worth

For the large part, David Moyes’ reign as Manchester United manager isn’t one that fills United fans with fond memories. But for all for the Scot’s faults, he did sign Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini. While the duo struggled to flourish under his tutelage, they have come of age under Van Gaal. Whether it is the tactics or the simple fact that the manager trusts them, the duo have transformed their individual form, as well as the form of the club.

In Fellaini’s case, he has gone from being an outcast that was being used as a stick used to beat Moyes’ tactics with, into being a important weapon in Van Gaal’s arsenal. The Belgian has shown that he is much more than just an aerial presence and his combative spirit and toughness have shone through this season. With Mata, things have been slightly different. While he was still good under David Moyes, he struggled to make his impact felt. But this season, even though he hasn’t played every game, he has been much more involved and important to United’s attack and his two goals at Anfield are a testament to that.

3. Are Liverpool out of the rat race?

After the 3-0 defeat to United in December, question marks were raised over Liverpool’s ambitions. Many wondered whether they could realistically still challenge for a Champions League place considering that the defeat left them in tenth place, 10 points behind United. But since then, the Reds have shown remarkable strength and resolve. The Reds came into the game on Sunday with a 13-game unbeaten run in the league and knowing that they could leapfrog their opponents into fourth with a win.

United, who have started to peak at the right time ensured that the run was ended with a fantastic away performance. And just when it looked as though the race for fourth was going to be interesting, it looks as though the door has been slammed shut by the Red Devils. And with a trip to the Emirates next, the Reds know that anything less than a victory against the Gunners would leave them too far behind in their quest for Champions League football with just eight games to go before the end of the season.