| Liverpool 0 | |
|---|---|
| Manchester United 0 |
Steven Gerrard and Rio
Ferdinand
45 min: As Shelvey walked off, he
had a pop at Ferguson, pointing at him and effin' and jeffin'.
Ferguson, naturally, did not take it in good spirit meaning Shelvey has
become the first non-United player to be on the end of the hairdryer
treatment. You can bet the United players are going to be in for a
rollicking at half time too. Their performance is still miserable.
Borini gets clear down the left but his inviting cut-back is put behind
by Evra. Where was Suarez? That cross was begging to be tapped in. To
think that Michael Owen's at Stoke.
44 min:
"How does the player with both feet off the ground stay on the pitch,
and the one with one foot on the ground get a straight red!?" says Simon
Brereton. This is what I mean about Evans's part in this. You're not
going to see both players sent off in an incident like that though. That
said, Evans got lucky.
41 min: But
despite only having 10 men, still Liverpool press. They win a free-kick
after a push from Ferdinand 30 yards from goal. Suarez takes it and
demands a good save from Lindegaard, the Dane diving to his right to
push the effort away. Liverpool are very much in this, mainly because
United have been so poor.
40 min: After getting treatment, Evans comes back on to loud boos from the Liverpool fans. For the crime of being kicked.
39 min: LIVERPOOL PRESS THE SELF-DESTRUCT BUTTON!
JONJO SHELVEY IS SENT OFF! All that dominance and now they're down to
10 men. Shelvey had an inexplicable rush of blood to the head here as he
got too excited after tackling Ryan Giggs. He then rushed to challenge
Evans but his studs were up and he caught him with his right boot. The
strange thing about this incident is the way Evans went into the 50-50
wasn't exactly great either. A split-second later and he could have been
the one sent off. Mark Halsey took his time to make his mind up but
there was a certain inevitability to Shelvey going.
37 min:
Kelly bursts down the right, unimpeded by anything as novel as a tackle
from a United player. His cross is cut out by Evans but then Nani
helpfully picks out Sterling on the edge of the area. He jinks past one
challenge but his left-footed shot is blocked by a United defender.
United are awful.
35 min: They say managers have to be brave and you have to admire Sir Alex Ferguson's courage in not picking a midfield today.
34 min:
Suarez threatens again. He scampers into the area from the left but his
fierce shot is deflected behind by Ferdinand, who looks to be back in
full working order again. The corner comes to nothing.
33 min:
Gerrard whips the free-kick into the area from the right, but Suarez
gets too much on his header when it needed to be a glance and the ball
flies behind for a goal-kick.
32 min:
The increasingly erratic Evra goes steaming through the back of
Sterling as the young winger nicked the ball past the United full-back inches outside the area on the right. Dear me, that was woeful defending. Evra escapes with a final warning, though.
28 min:
Suarez is so frustrating at times. He got clear on the left side of the
area and was faced by two United defenders. Suddenly memories of his
mesmeric run against United in March 2011 came flooding back so instead
of just crossing it, he tried to diddle his way past Ferdinand, who
stands up and gets a foot in to howls of annoyance from the home fans.
27 min: Suarez tries a cute chip into the top-right corner from the edge of the area but his aim is awry.
26 min: Nani wallops a free-kick well over the bar from 35 yards out. Maybe he shouldn't take the set pieces for a while.
25 min: UNITED GET INTO LIVERPOOL'S HALF!!!!!!!!
24 min:
"I don't disagree with your assessment of Steven Fletcher, but it's a
pity he is either too stupid to too stubborn to admit when he's made a
mistake," says Simon McMahon. "Maybe he should give Nick Clegg a call as
well as Craig Levein."
23 min: Ferdinand is back on the pitch but he's still limping. That decision to rest Vidic is looking curiouser and curiouser.
21 min:
Liverpool continue to turn the screw though and from Van Persie's
clearance, Gerrard curls a delicious inswinging cross into the box from
the left. Agger collapses with Evans keeping a close hold on him but
Mark Halsey says no penalty despite loud appeals. There's a stoppage in
play, meanwhile, as Rio Ferdinand gets treatment for an injury.
Worryingly United's only defensive option on the bench is the
inexperienced left-back Alex Buttner.
20 min:
Liverpool have had three corners to United's nice round zero. Gerrard
curls it in from the left but Van Persie heads away at the near post.
That might be the first time he's touched it.
19 min:
A quick look at the possession stats reveals that Liverpool have had
64% of it. But they're yet to turn it into a goal which is, of course,
supposedly the object of all this.
17 min: It's all Liverpool. Joe Allen does this really neat thing. He passes the ball to a team-mate.
16 min: You know who would have scored that? Steven Fletcher. What a brilliantly instinctive finisher he is.
14 min:
Liverpool are making chances. Liverpool aren't taking chances. What's
new? Suarez pierces the shambles masquerading as the United defence with
a pass through to Borini. He's clean through on goal and should score
but his first touch is utterly dreadful, taking him away from goal. In
the end, all he can do is try to turn it across goal but too many United
defenders are back. The young Italian gets an earful from Suarez and
Gerrard for his sloppiness. Andy Carroll definitely would have scored
that. Maybe.
13 min: The
buccaneering Johnson tumbles under a challenge from Rafael on the left
but Mark Halsey waves away his appeals for a free-kick. He accepts the
decision with equanimity. Just as well, seeing as it wasn't a foul.
12 min:
"I think Ferguson has dug his heels in on the midfield issue," says
Mark Judd. "He knows what everyone else knows but is too stubborn to
admit it. Buy Cheik Tiote in January." They do look very lightweight at
the moment. Liverpool are the more cohesive side.
9 min:
Half of the ground thought this was in. The impressive Sterling won
another corner on the right. Shelvey cut the ball back low to Gerrard,
whose low drive fizzed past the right post and into the side-netting,
creating the illusion that he had beaten Lindegaard. Sadly not. United
were nearly caught out in similar fashion by Galatasaray on Wednesay.
You'd think they'd be wise to that ruse by now.
7 min:
Liverpool win the first corner, United have the first shot. Kagawa
finds Giggs on the edge of the area and he cuts across the ball with his
left foot - rather like Xavi against Granada last night - and his shot
fizzes just past the angle of post and bar. By way of response,
Liverpool go right up the other end, Sterling playing a neat pass down
the inside-right channel for Suarez. He turns a cross-shot into the area
that Lindegaard parries out rather shakily, forcing Rafael to head away
from Borini, doing superbly not to score an own goal. Gerrard tries to
turn home the rebound but Evans is on hand to boot clear. More please!
6 min:
Liverpool win the first corner of the match, Johnson's cross deflected
behind by Rafael. They take it short but Gerrard's fine cross is headed
away firmly by Rafael.
5 min: Three children at 17 though.
4 min:
Young Sterling, the father of three children at the tender age of 17,
gets his first chance to run at Patrice Evra. He might be experienced in
some regards but he's still a fresh-faced youth on the pitch and Evra
quickly steps in to nick the ball off him.
3 min:
United are dominating possession in these early stages, albeit without
really going anywhere. That's often been the case at Anfield in recent
years.
2 min: And now, finally, a
roar. "Yup, you're right about United's "lack of a midfield" being the
root cause of many of their recent problems at Anfield: see, eg, the
game at Anfield in the league in Rafa's otherwise abysmal last season in
charge when Lucas simply harried the ball off the ancient Scholes,
drove at the United goal and put Kuyt through only for the Dutchman to
blast wide in classic Kuyt-style," says SB Tang. "Not sure if Liverpool
will be able to make United pay to the requisite degree for starting
Giggs in central midfield today though. In the absence of Lucas, we
don't have a real terrier in midfield. And United will have the mobile,
hardworking Kagawa dropping back to help out when they lose the ball
..."
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