Man United won Liverpool before kick-off

THIS may sound odd especially as it was Liverpool who had better momentum going into this match. They were the form team of the BPL and also the only side yet to lose a league match in 2015. Their 13-league match unbeaten run saw them garner an impressive 33 points from a maximum 39!

And playing at Anfield where they had recently dispatched fellow Top 4 challengers Tottenham and reigning champs Man City, against United whose away record was slightly above average, smart money was on a Liverpool victory.

However, after seeing the starting line-ups of the host team I started having my doubts. I agree with BR for dropping Gerrard to the bench. Truth is the Reds have been more dynamic in the absence of their soon-to-depart skipper and talisman. But I was curious with Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge in the starting line-up, especially on the evidence of the former’s recent poor performances.

I thought deploying Raheem Sterling as the Top 9 with Sturridge introduced at some point in the second half could unsettle United’s barely stable rear guard. Ok, Sturridge scored Reds only goal of the defeat. But that was one of just two notable things he did in an otherwise forgettable 90 minutes. And this poor run of his has been for some time since he returned from his long term layoff.

As we’ve seen since Sturridge’s return, Sterling is a big waste as a wing-back and has become hugely less influential and threatening in matches where he has been forced to play as a makeshift wing-back. What a boost it would have been to be able to call both Sturridge and Gerrard from the bench when you need them to do a job for the team! And what a big opportunity missed there by BR!

But apart from the line-up, Liverpool actually lost the match during warm-ups! Yes, because while United players warmed up with fire on their faces and with great intensity, Liverpool players were ominously too relaxed and at times looked very playful. You would be forgiven to think the Reds were preparing for a meaningless exhibition game at Anfield, and not a pivotal UCL qualification clash.

As a trained coach, I know the importance of good intensity in warm-ups, and I wasn’t surprised that United went on to thoroughly boss the first-half, bar a 5-minute spell of the hosts’ dominance between 35 and 40 minutes.

That slipshod first-half display went generally unpunished against Swansea last Monday probably because the Swans didn’t have a Mata, an Herrera, a Michael Carrick and a Marouane Fellaini. At Anfield, the Reds were rightly punished and it left a very sour taste in the mouth of their fans that David De Gea didn’t have much to do like in the reverse tie which the Red Devils ironically won 3-0.

So I’d say for every error BR made, you’d have to give Louis van Gaal a big tick for getting his line-up spot on and for preparing his team in the right manner. The scores between the two managers now is 3-0 in favour of the seasoned Dutch tactician. Experience, they say, is not sold in the market.