Patrice Evra's second-half header proved to be the winning goal for his side
Image retrieved from The Telegraph UK
Starting Lineups (Courtesy of Soccerway.com)
Goals of the Game
Manchester United: van Persie (19'), Evra (54')
Liverpool: Sturridge (57')
With Jose Mourinho watching on the stands, Sir Alex Ferguson claimed a victory against long-time rivals Liverpool, content in keeping a formidable lead at the top of the league table.
The first half started with not much flare compared to the previous meetings of these two sides. The teams engaged in a sparring game until tides would turn to United's favor. Lovely passing play from Kagawa, Cleverley and Evra brought Robin van Persie the ball, who smashed the ball in from just outside the 6-yard box. Cleverley almost made it 2-0 when a Kagawa attempt was poorly cleared. The young Cleverley would attempt a shot from the edge of the penalty area, but the ball drifted wide.
Robin van Persie celebrates as he scores the first goal of the match for United.
Image retrieved from the Official Barclays Premiere League Twitter account
Liverpool tried their best to put some offense, but it wasn't happening. Mishaps from Joe Allen and captain Steven Gerrard, including a poor return ball, made Suarez unable to latch an attack. Then, on the counter-attack, Carrick makes a similar pass made by Ryan Giggs to van Persie in the West Ham FA Cup match, but this was to Rafael. The Brazilian was unopposed as he brought the ball towards the 6-yard box and passed it to RVP who was unable to finish. Kagawa tried to pounce on the rebound but he stumbled with Liverpool's keeper Pepe Reina.
Liverpool carried their unspectacular run in the second half. Sterling and Johnson provided some threats in the wing, but the Liverpool side just wasn't making any progress. Their defense proved ever flimsier when a free kick from Robin van Persie was collected by Patrice Evra, who outran his marker and made the score 2-0. Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool's signing from Chelsea and their halft-time sub, made sure he had some say in the match's affairs when he collected a rebound with authority three minutes later, when De Gea unconvincingly parried Gerrard's attempt.
Daniel Sturridge makes the impact off the bench by pulling a goal back for Liverpool
Image retrieved from The Daily Mail UK
Liverpool would soon put United on edge, as the home side lost their composure amidst the pressure. However, they kept their lead, and the Old Trafford faithful breathed a sigh of relief as their side won a fidgety victory against age-old rivals Liverpool. For a brief moment, The Red Devils are ten points clear of nearest rival City.
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