Is this the best sporting day of the year? We get things going with live coverage of the clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield.
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Full-Time: Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United
It’s almost time for one of the biggest games of the season. Brendan Rodgers and Alex Ferguson have just been interviewed together by Sky, doubtless hoping to quell any potential crowd disturbances before they happen.
(The body language, incidentally, was less than comfortable).
The big news is that Nemanja Vidic does not start, with Ryan Giggs captaining the visitors instead of Patrice Evra. Will there be a handshake?
We bloody well hope so.
Here are the teams…
Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Gerrard, Allen, Shelvey, Borini, Suarez, Sterling
Subs: Jones, Jose Enrique, Sahin, Assaidi, Henderson, Carragher, Fernandez Saez
Man Utd: Lindegaard, Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Carrick, Giggs, Valencia, Kagawa, Nani, van Persie
Subs: De Gea, Anderson, Hernandez, Welbeck, Scholes, Cleverley, Buttner
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
We’ve had the handshake between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra. Now let’s have some football…
As ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ plays, there seems to be a vocal minority directing abusive chants towards the Liverpool fans. Hard to make it out though…
The official line on Vidic is that he has been rested – he was a long time out, after all, and Jonny Evans is no slouch.
Nothing to report on the pitch as yet. Liverpool have had a corner and Steven Gerrard has featured prominently, but that’s about the height of it.
The crowd roars! Jonjo Shelvey plays a corner short to Steven Gerrard, who finds the side netting. Bright start for Liverpool.
Johnson does well to keep a poor pass from Borini in play, before Rafael takes the Liverpool full-back out of it. Inexplicably, no free-kick.
Shocking play from Borini, whose touch from a brilliant Suarez through ball is far too heavy. The Italian gets an earful from Gerrard, and it’s deserved. He’s started terribly.
This is disappointing, to say the least…
Rio Ferdinand has sustained a knock. The only defensive reinforcement is Alex Buttner, a full-back, so the United faithful will be hoping the veteran recovers.
United have been poor so far, failing to find their strikers and allowing themselves to be overrun by Liverpool in midfield.
Nani’s free-kick is only marginally better than his penalty against Galatasaray, and that is not saying much.
Luis Suarez takes a pass from Sterling before fires over the bar. He doesn’t look happy that Borini didn’t give him a better option.
In the next wave, the Uruguayan tries to wriggle past Ferdinand, but it’s not happening.
Sterling is caught by Evra just outside the box. A clear foul on the youngster, but no booking from Mark Halsey. Gerrard’s free-kick is thumped at Suarez, who gets far too much on the ball and it goes wide. That needed a glance.
Heartwarming stuff from Suarez and Evra. You can just feel the love.
Liverpool are destroying United, yet the game remains scoreless. Sterling and Suarez are dominating the United defence.
Then, out of nowhere, Jonjo Shelvey launches himself at Jonny Evans and gets himself sent off. Alan Smith says it was ‘borderline,’ but it was reckless and he had to go.
Suarez goes down like he’s been shot under a tame challenge from Ferdinand. No need for it. Suarez takes the free-kick himself but it was easy for Lindegaard.
The Liverpool fans boo Evans when he comes back on from the Shelvey challenge. Some people are idiots.
Borini gets free down the left but isn’t able to find Suarez with his cross, while Sterling is too far behind the play.
That’s the end of the first half. Liverpool utterly dominated the play and it’s hard to remember a single United effort on Pepe Reina’s goal.
Unfortunately for the home side, Jonjo Shelvey has walked for a stupid tackle on Jonny Evans and they’re playing with nine men, as Fabio Borini is utterly useless as some form of winger.
Shovel list: Those poxy Ladbrokes ads with the shouty, Italian, moustacioed man. Absolutely no need for that kind of aural abuse.
With thanks to Brian Durand, here’s the Shelvey incident. Should both players have walked? Or neither?
The second half has started, with Paul Scholes replacing Nani for Manchester United. The Portuguese was hopeless in the first half.
LIVERPOOL GOAL! Substitute Suso gets a cross in. It’s headed out to Glen Johnson, whose cross finds Steven Gerrard in acres of space and he volleys superbly into the United net.
EQUALISER FOR MANCHESTER UNITED! Some brilliant inter-play between the United midfield and eventually Kagawa plays it out to Rafael, who brilliantly shoots past Reina.
Patrice Evra makes a mess of marking Raheem Sterling but the winger can’t get a shot in. Instead, his cross makes its way to Gerrard, who shoots straight at Lindegaard.
Suarez collects the ball from Sterling and goes down under a challenge from Evans. The temptation is to call it a dive, given the reputation of the attacker, but Evans made contact with the striker and it should have been a penalty.
Meanwhile, Paul Scholes has been booked.
Kagawa splits the Liverpool defence to find Evra, but the Frenchman’s cross is behind van Persie. Poor from the United left-back.
Great effort by Suarez, who takes a pass from Martin Skrtel before lashing an effort at the United goal. Lindegaard with a fine instinctive save.
Michael Carrick picks out an onrushing Ryan Giggs, but the Welshman is flagged offside as he is about to pull the trigger.
Liverpool fly forward and Suso’s shot is blocked by Lindegaard. The youngster has impressed since replacing Borini at half-time.
Another Liverpool substitution: Jordan Henderson replaces Sterling. Odd decision, and Patrice Evra will be relieved.
Steven Gerrard’s opener…
Elsewhere, we have the Manchester City team to face Arsenal.
Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany (C), Lescott, Clichy, Garcia, Y. Toure, Silva, Sinclair, Dzeko, Aguero
PENALTY FOR UNITED! Suso’s pass puts Agger in trouble, Antonio Valencia breaks, and as he is about to pull the trigger Glen Johnson fouls him. Van Persie will take it, having barely touched the ball all game…
We’re still waiting, and Jamie Carragher will have to replace the injured Agger. Van Persie is just skulking around the penalty area.
2-1 to Manchester United! Reina gets a hand to van Persie’s penalty but it’s too strong, and the Dutchman has his fifth goal in five games this season.
Javier Hernandez replaces Shinji Kagawa.
Chance for Liverpool! Glen Johnson floats over a brilliant cross but Martin Kelly doesn’t get enough on it, and it goes just wide.
A disappointing corner from Suso as Liverpool threaten. Van Persie has been booked for the first time in a United shirt, and deservedly so after he fouled… someone wearing red.
A bit of a ding-dong in the comments. For the record, my out-of-work allegiance lies with Liverpool. My in-work allegiance lies with my unbiased interpretation of events.
Danny Welbeck replaces Rafael, who goes off injured. United are going for a third. Liverpool look to be spent. This is likely to be no wins in five for Rodgers in the Premier League.
Should this have been a penalty?
Martin Kelly is injured and Liverpool could be down to nine players, as they’ve used all their substitutes. It’s 9 v 11. It’s three points for United, surely.
Mark Halsey will not have many friends left on Merseyside. He has given Liverpool nothing, denying Suarez an obvious free-kick just before he blows the whistle for full-time.
The Reds performed admirably but the sending off of Jonjo Shelvey put his side under unnecessary pressure, and they tired at the end.
United won this one ugly, but they won’t care. Liverpool now have two points from five Premier League games, with hopes of a top four finish already greatly compromised.
That’s all from Anfield, we’ll be back soon for Manchester City v Arsenal…
Suarez and Evra shake hands, the right day to finish that shit off for good.
I am a United fan but great respect to Liverpool for dealing with the Hillsborough history.
Justice for the 96.!!!
Agreed, they can kill each other on the pitch but that rubbish needed to stop! LFC fan…
Well said Martin
Why does Fergie still pick nani. Pure crap.
He seems to have regressed this year back to the waste of space he was 2 or 3 years back, watch it he’ll make me eat my words and smash in the winner now!!
I support United the other half supports Liverpool. This means war!
I hope neither of ye are from Mayo and Donegal coz that would mean all out war on yer gaff!!!!
I hope neither of ye are from Mayo and Donegal coz that would mean all out war on yer gaff!!!!
How was John jo shelveys tackle reckless u a united fan maybe? a bit of unbiased reporting for a change!!! it was a fifty fifty tackle and shelvey got the ball another ref in Howard webbs club
Is it that difficult to fathom somebody giving an opinion based on what they see in front of them? Not every opinion is based on who somebody supports. The only bias I’m seeing is in your post.
Giving an opinion that is obviously biased nearly all tv pundits have said it was 50-50 yet on this it was a definit red card that sounds like bias to me
How is saying it should be a red necessarily indicative of bias? It just shows that he thinks it should be a red. They agreed at half time on Sky whilst adding that Evans did jump in as well.
Somebody having an opinion one way or another is not a sign of bias. If every single opinion was in favour of United, that would obviously be different. Use a bit of reason and common sense.
A bit of reason and common sense would mean that ya dont just come straight saying definite red it wasn’t even a red the two should have been booked nothing more on the 83rd minute van Persie jumped in worse than shelvey and Evans and nothing doneand yes I am a Liverpool fan YNWA another decision by the ref that has robbed Liverpool a win
You’ll never walk alone and seemingly won’t use full stops either. If he were biased it would be obvious throughout. He is not, so it was not.
Take off the John Lennon rose tinted glasses and talk less nonsense about him being biased over one opinion about a single incident.
There’s little point debating the actual points with you as you’ll likely accuse me of bias if I disagree with you. That being said, I’ll just say I disagree with a lot of what you have said.
Gaius, great comment on an article about Liverpool and Manchester United. You do not know your codes, laddie
Stephen Gerard got man of the match. I don’t think sir Alex will be too happy with that! I’d say he’d have given it to mark Halsey!!
A big bonus for mark this week!
Disgrace..
Such poor losers really !!!! Was it the refs fault that Johnson challenged from behind??? Or that da silva wasn’t pick up in the box???? . Utd where big enough to say that they were very lucky today . The “it’s never you fault chant will always be sung and for the right reasons this time .
2 points from 15. LMAO.
Shelvey to Whiskeynose on his way off the pitch – “How much did you pay the ref this time?” – A lot by the looks of it Jonjo boy.
So another red card and penalty in uniteds favour in this fixture?
Do people still take this stuff seriously??
There surely has to be some element of corruption in these games constantly being decided in uniteds favour by dodgy refereeing decisions?
That’s our first at Anfield since 1999 and only second ever there!!! Also in the last 5 years at both grounds there have been 4 united players sent off and 3 Liverpool, your bias claim looks a bit shallow now hey?
Sorry that should have said third not second, my mistake.
well john what do you make of Josephs comment?
Show me a controversial call that went against united Joseph. You won’t find one
You conveniently only mention penalties given at anfield by the way ;)
I think the only controversial call was Suarez for the penalty and it was only obvious there was slight contact on replay and in ordinary speed his swan dive made the ref decide against it.
Agger was dragged to the ground in the first half too and you don’t think the red card was controversial??
You win Joseph, I stand corrected….
No, his foot was over the ball and he caught Evans in the thigh with his studs. I agree Evans wasn’t fully in control but he got there first and swept the ball away, it was a challenge that whoever got there second was in trouble and that was Shelvey. The Agger incident was so important that I have no recollection of it!!
Evans was the one who went in with both feet off the ground, studs showing. Suarez should have been given a penalty. If Shelvey’s tackle was a red, so was van Persie’s. United even got a throw in that should have been Liverpool’s at the end. Either someone is getting handed an envelope somewhere, or United are just incredibly luck when it comes to dodgy decisions.
Haha val you are so desperate you are now resorting to throw ins!! I think this is where I exit this debate with three points in hand.
You didn’t win any debate Joseph and your team won with ALOT of good fortune and one hell of an assist from the ref for the second time against Liverpool in the last 18 months.
Always class from man corp fans
No resorting about it! The ref was so biased in United favour he was even giving them throwins! It was a disgrace what went on at Anfield today. In saying that, Liverpool only have themselves to blame. United should have been out of the game by half time.
Summary- Arsenal have been awarded more penalties than any other Premier League club in 3 of the last 8 seasons. City have been awarded more in 2 out of 8 seasons. United and Chelsea have been awarded more in 1 of the 8 seasons.- Arsenal and City have conceded more penalties than any other Premier League club in 1 of the last 8 seasons.- Arsenal have had the most penalties awarded for and against them in the last 8 seasons.- Chelsea have had the fewest penalties awarded against them in the last 8 seasons.- Over 8 seasons, there is a difference of 11 penalties awarded for between Arsenal and United, or 1.4 a season. There is a difference of 17 penalties awarded against between Arsenal and Chelsea, or 2.1 a season. Essentially, the difference is negligible so any argument suggesting the refs give preferential treatment to one club is pretty soft.Disclaimer- This table is just a comparison of these five clubs. The clubs which had the most penalties for and against have been included to give some perspective.- How many penalties each club is awarded doesn?t?prove?anything as it is the quality of the decisions that would determine any preferential treatment.- Attacking/dominating teams are going to spend more time in their opponent?s box than less successful teams. They are also less likely to have the opposition in their own box. This can have bearing on the opportunity for a penalty to be awarded for or against.
Stats don’t prove anything johnny.
United beat Liverpool fair and square at old Trafford last march. The previous year in the fa cup at old trafford the ref was a joke and gave man corp a penalty in the first minute and then sent off Gerard just as Liverpool were getting back into it. Today four Liverpool players went down in Uniteds box no penalties, one united player went down in Liverpools box penalty straight away.
It’s not pool fans that are in denial, it’s united fans who think the game isn’t corrupt.
Controversy surrounded your last penalty last week too. Nice dive by welbeck, ref points to the spot, shock horror. You’ll knock Suarez for theatrics though even though he never seems to get anything but bookings when he goes down, even when he’s fouled!!
Love the way LFC fans blame EVERYBODY except their rubbish players! Johnson ( a Chelsea reject was their best player today)
Wow. Shivers after watching that!
Accidental red thumb there Eimear! Yeah it was a lovely tribute and fair play to players on both teams for respecting it! Pity about some fans!
What fans, there was no booing or anti Hillsborough chanting!
@ Joseph pretty damning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_uLFvJwfrc&sns=em
Howard Webb has serious competition
Come on Man U, brilliant come back.
Easy to come back and win when you have twelve men and the opposition have ten.
Clarence
Stop being Bitter
Suarez seems to be actively trying to even out the numbers, rolling around trying to pretend Rio elbowed him, disgraceful, he’s been fantastic as a footballer today too, if he cut that crap out he’d do himself no end of favours
United fan?
Yep but I can appreciate Liverpool players and he does have some ability, I just hate his attitude and demeanour, in stark contrast to Carragher and even Gerrard
I had suspected there was more than a hint of bias in your post!
Haha of course I’m biased but you can’t obviously think that Ferdinand did a Fashanu on him like the tried to make out.
Joseph when you have a ref who was clearly biased I think Suarez was making sure the ref knew that he was being fouled!
Biased ref!! Liverpool deserved better but I don’t think Halsey got much very wrong. Plus the ref blew up straight off, rolling around with his hands on his head looking like he wanted to cry was only to achieve one thing.
Why would you think he got anything wrong, as a United fan you get used to it I guess! Sorry if you feel this is just paranoia but it seemed so openly obvious today!
Sorry Ted but are you a Liverpool fan because your bias in the opposite direction seems obvious too. Contentious decisions, shelvey, over the top caught with studs, van Persie, studs on floor caught with thigh on follow through. That is all.
These childish posts about bias are ridiculous. Take off the tinfoil hats. The referee was not biased. A contentious decision going one way or another is not bias. Concensus seems to indicate that he made a decent decision on the red card, but in England such challenges often get a yellow card. A tight decision? Yes. Biased? Obviously not.
If he were biased the game would not have gone into nearly the 98th minute (thus giving Liverpool additional time to equalize).
Clarence, if your looking for someone to blame, it’s shelvey.
Suarez should be booked for that disgusting
For being tripped?? Wouldn’t surprise me with the ref on form like this, Fergie will be impressed by what he saw from him today, Webb under pressure to raise his game!
There was a slight touch I agree on replay but the swan dive hardly helped him. Tell me, what did the referee get massively wrong?
You’ve mentioned one of them above! Penalty to Valencia was tragically soft, red card was for a 50:50 tackle with both players off the ground but one rolled around a bit! Only them three in fairness to him but that’s the entire story of the match!
What a strike!!! Come on United!!
Oh look nothing said about van Persie jumping in worse than shelvey did ya must be a united fan
Van persies studs were on the ground and didn’t catch the player, foul and yellow was right, you’re obvious sbd desperate over reaction marks you our as a Liverpool fan.
Gavin they both could have been sent off for that , the difference was his studs were showing and he caught him
Last penalty United had at Anfield was in 1999.
We’ve been done here
God we were shit, we’ve played so much better over the 5 years we’ve gone without a win there, but I’ll take any win at Anfield, still and always the biggest game of the year.
Have to laugh at all the bitter Liverpool “fans”. There is no referee conspiracy, your team is just shit.
Playing badly and winning. Nice!
thst stats are not as one sided as liverpool supporters would lead you to believe but one thing they cannot blame united for is the massive decline in their clubs success over the last 20 years. for that there is only Liverpool to blame and if they dont get it sorted they could reasonably be a bottom 3 club in May.
*the stats
Bottom three stupid comment.To all the blind united fans shelvey gets to the ball first.
Peter, shelvey didn’t touch the ball Evans did, and even if he had the slightest knick on it he went over the top and his studs hit Evans in the thigh, still a red card
RVP the man!!!
Wooooooohooooooo!!
Evans went in two footed off the ground and we should have had a penalty. Suarez and sterling were both chopped in the space of five seconds.
Suarez is an absolute joke rolling around every week and crying to refs no wonder he gets nothing dont blame others for your teams decline.Maybe blame no striker to get yous goals and bad buys like henderson!
Lads, this is football, not GAA. :D
Those over-paid & spoilt idiots in the EPL aren’t fit to lace the real footballers foots. Sad that so many waste their money on them instead of appreciating how lucky we are in this country to have the great sports of Gaelic Football & Hurling.
Both of the above comments are brainless, childish nonsense.
GAA fans like to talk the talk, but then don’t show up to support their local parish teams or county, unless it’s a big day in da big shmoke
At least us GAA fans can actually go and see our teams play weekly, and support our local teams unlike alot of united fans who couldn’t point out Manchester on a map, alot more to supporting a team than watching them on sky and buying the latest kit :)
GAA is real football.
Except it’s mostly in their hands, hmm
Game over. Move on
Shocking, Liverpool deserved that too, not even playing against 10 has bucked us up.
Van persie kept his foot on the ground AND was first to the ball.
Boom
Stevie G!!!
Haha no Tyrone and Monaghan and we r both going for Donegal today!
Comment duplicated! Feck ya as I’m a Mayo man!!!! Haha
Haha you losers all support English teams….. The cringe of it all
And your the looser that comes on here and try’s to mock us all.
FOOL
Time for Danny welbeck me thinks
Welbeck or Hernandez
Referee didn’t think so Gavin!!
When is Rooney back? Come on united! We need another goal or two!
Next Saturday at the earliest and I’d take controlling the game first before we think about goals
How could he make contact with his instep when he left the ground with the studs showing. That would be physically impossible seen as your instep is on the top part of your foot.
Another united moron to go with the three thousand that were chanting after the match
Your instep is the inside of your foot, that you side foot with, he swept the ball away with this part of his foot, look at it again, and it shows how strong your arguments are when you resort to name calling and insults, a truly classy individual
Also it wasn’t thousands it was a few idiots, quiet enough that sky had to subtitle it, still they are cretins that should be caught and banned, look at previous stories I have wholeheartedly condemned it from all fans of all clubs.
What are you on about. The majority were singing it. You must be so proud
Proud? Give me a break, look back at every comment I’ve made on articles about chants this past week, I don’t condone any hateful chanting and believe anyone caught should be given a life ban. I only caught it briefly on sky news whilst channel hoping and I believed that as sky were subtitling that it could not be the majority, being that it wouldn’t be needed for 2,500, if it is more then I am furious at every single one of them for dragging my clubs name through the mud, especially after how dignified it has been through this week and game. Also are you going to be as quick to condem the Liverpool fans who broke out onto the pitch and did airplane signs in front of the away end beginning the unsavoury behaviour.
I did in another post. They should get a lifetime ban but don’t use that as a means to justify that singing. Idiots is all they were
So Peter if a player gets to the ball first stud or no studs but the following through leg breaks the other players leg, ankle , foot , ends his career etc…. It’s ok cause he touch the ball first !!
Muppet !
Back at you, A player leaves the ground with both feet and doesn’t get to the ball first and could have broken the other players leg but comes out of it worst so he gets to stay on the pitch.
Muppet
Made no contact with the other player and plays the ball with his instep not his studs, shocking behaviour that is!?!
man united won but sure what other result did we want?
There is bad apples on every tree.Anybody who argues and thinks that there is any club that doesn’t is a clown.
Support your local club!!
You know you can support both a local and another team right?
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
If your so bored by this thread why do u still read it.
Bog off to gaa country if zzzzzzzzzz is all u have to say