Manchester United new boy Anthony Martial was amongst the scorers at Old Trafford last night as Louis van Gaal’s side defeated their arch nemesis Liverpool 3-1.
It was tight and tense affair that for the most part lacked passion, and the first goal was not until the second stanza when Daley Blind picked his place perfectly to finish-off a well worked set piece that was started by Ashely Young, who replaced Memphis Depay at the break.
Manchester United dominated the play and that proved to be too much for Liverpool youngster Joe Gomez, who brought down Ander Herrera inside the box. The Spaniard stepped-up and dispatched the penalty in a manner that would have impressed the injured Wayne Rooney.
The Reds barely showed any fight, severely missing Phillippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, but Christian Benteke provided some hope with a stunning bicycle kick that left the returning David De Gea stranded late on.
However, a fixture of this magnitude always holds out for some last minute magic and that call was answered by Manchester’s new Frenchman Martial, who slalomed through Liverpool’s backline to score on debut and seal the three points.
Liverpool missed Coutinho
The Reds were in tatters, the suspension of Coutinho clearly had a huge impact as Liverpool struggled massively to create any real problems for the returning De Gea. Fellow Brazilian Roberto Firmino was given the job of replacing his countryman, along with the addition of Danny Ings, however, neither could reach the heights.
Brendan Rodgers’ side managed only four shots on target from eight attempts and maintained a 77% pass accuracy, which made their lack of attacking presence deepen further. Even in their humiliating 3-0 defeat to West Ham United, the Reds had five more shots and kept 85% of their passes on the mark.
It is a real worry for Liverpool supporters, given the sheer amount of money that was spent on Firmino and of course Benteke. Although the Belgian scored one of the goals of the season, he rarely featured and that was due to a lack of quality service. There was no linkup between the midfield and attack, a job that is seemingly only suited to Coutinho. It could be another long campaign for Merseysiders if the Brazilian was to pick up an injury.
Fellaini playing up front
Louis van Gaal surprised many supporters when he stated Marouane Fellaini would play as a forward, and with the absence of Rooney through injury there was no better time to throw the Belgian into the deep end.
It made sense to try Fellaini in that role, he is a huge unit and can certainly strike a ball, having done so already for United and previously Everton. The Belgian caused plenty of headaches for Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren, which in turn afforded extra space for the likes of Juan Mata and Herrera.
However, all of that was achieved when he played through the midfield. Fellaini’s contributions as an out-and-out striker were fairly minimal. The former Toffee managed only two shots at Simon Mignolet, both of which were off target, and he failed to flex his muscles in the air, as he lost three of five battles against Liverpool’s giants.
With Manchester new boy Martial finding the score sheet and Rooney soon to return, it is difficult to see Fellaini getting another opportunity in the coming weeks, and considering the expertise of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the middle it could be a lengthy stint on the sidelines for the Belgian.
The Reds lacked passion
Considering Liverpool were missing Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana it would be understandable to see Rodgers set up defensively and play purely on the counter attack. However, when the replacements for those absentees are the likes of Firmino and Ings, along with James Milner, Emre Can and Benteke, there should not be lack of fight.
A point would have been delightful for Liverpool, and it was definitely possible because United were not at their devastating best. However, it was quite evident after the opening-half that the Reds were not looking likely to concern Manchester at all.
There is a difference between playing defensively and lying down for the opposition. The former requires resilience and a lethal strike, whereas, the second involves a lack of heart and intensity, all of which can be found in Liverpool’s performance, minus perhaps, a quarter of an hour. Losing to the Red Devils will always be crushing blow to any Kopite, however, going down with a fight can certainly quell some frustrations. But this time Liverpool left Old Trafford with their tails between their legs.
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Manchester United tail City
After a stop-and-go start for Manchester United, the result against Liverpool catapulted them right behind their arch-rivals in sky blue. To be precise, the Red Devils trail City by five points and are now level with Arsenal.
It releases some of the pressure on van Gaal, and if United can produce some consistent results in the next couple of weeks against Southampton and Sunderland, they could close the gap on Manuel Pellegrini’s side, who have to play Tottenham at White Hart Lane in two weeks.
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