Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United: Media Reaction

Via the Daily Mail:

Gerrard hoped for so much from his final Anfield appearance against Manchester United. These are the games he knows he will miss and he wanted so badly to make it count. It was over before it had begun.



Thirty-eight seconds. That was Gerrard’s contribution to this game. Introduced at half-time by Brendan Rodgers, with Liverpool already trailing, Gerrard no doubt hoped to make a big impact on the 45 minutes. He failed even to make it to 45 seconds — seven short when a stamp on Ander Herrera ended his involvement.

Via the Guardian:

At the final whistle Louis van Gaal took the unusual step, as José Mourinho did last year, of striding across to celebrate with the visiting fans. Van Gaal will have relished this victory as much as any of his players, as United’s targeted direct football, combined with some swift-breaking transitions and two sublime goals from Juan Mata made the difference against a Liverpool team that only showed in glimpses their finely‑grooved attacking football of the last few weeks.

Via the Telegraph:

Juan Mata arrived at Manchester United’s training ground in January last year in a helicopter. He wore a smart jacket with a silk handkerchief tucked in the breast pocket and looked every inch the Spanish aristocrat. His £37m fee broke United’s transfer record. Then it all went quiet.



Mata is a player the experts whisper about. But here at Anfield everyone was shouting about him instead as he restored the fantasy to United’s sometimes stodgy play. A lot will be written about the value of United’s 2-1 victory in a stadium where they seldom shine these days. The authoritative nature of their first-half display will feature a lot. But Mata’s creativity writes a more important headline, because it revived qualities United have let go of since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Via Manchester Evening News:

Mata the hero, but Fellaini the main man

Two players signed during the David Moyes era left Anfield as Manchester United's best players. Juan Mata's wonderful brace - and in particular his magnificent scissor kick, will be the abiding memory for those United fans stood in the Anfield Road lower and he is ensured of a Forlan-like status.



Marouane Fellaini, though, was colossal. United became the first team to overcome Liverpool's much-heralded 3-4-3 formation and that was chiefly down to the Belgian's role.



He was superb in the air and on the deck and displayed surprising maturity, becoming the go-to man for United to tweak the tempo whenever Liverpool sparked a frenetic flurry.