Match Report: Rooney double beats Liverpool

Sports - Football - Premier League - Man United 2:1 Liverpool

Man of the match Wayne Rooney stole the show with two goals at the start of the second half which saw Manchester United beat Liverpool 2:1 at Old Trafford and return to the top of the Premier League table (for the night).

There were some ugly scenes at the end of both halves, with the saga between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra hanging over the teams after the Urugayan striker had refused to shake the United defender's hand before the match and clashes continuing into the tunnels. Shame on the players, forgetting the meaning of the word respect, you would have thought the managers would have had a word!

Moving on (as I hoped the teams would and going by their statements, they finally have), the game was more ill-spirited than tempered with only two bookings and both teams cancelling each other out, leaving the main action and possession in the centre of the field.

United bossed the game throughout but Liverpool stayed solid at the back and stubborn in the centre looking like they would not give up that easily and break and get something out of the game.

However, Rio Ferdinand's giveaway to Suarez ended up to be just a consolation goal. It spiced up the end of a game which United controlled and Liverpool held onto as much and long as they could.

But a certain former Evertonian striker had made sure the visitors would not get much out of the match, doubling his tally against the Merseysiders, smashing in a Ryan Giggs corner on 47 and tapping in an easy chance from a fine Antonio Valencia cross three minutes later after Jay Spearing lost the ball to the Ecuadorian winger.

It was not a match to write much about, if it weren't for all the ill temper of certain players, Evra's OTT-celebrations after the match right in front of Suarez not helping the matter much.

I hope now both players and managers had a chance to look back, consider and apologise their actions, we can move on and come back to what it is all about, the game and not a couple of idiots/idiotic actions that are taken out of all proportions and try to spoil and destroy the team spirit of it!

As John Barnes put it best on BBC: "...We are making a mountain out of a molehill. There are worse things happening in the world."

United: De Gea; Evra, Evans, Ferdinand, Rafael da Silva; Giggs, Scholes, Carrick (booked 80), Valencia; Welbeck, Rooney (scored 46:17 & 49:04). 4-4-2
Subs not used: Amos, Fabio da Silva, Park Ji-sung, Cleverley, Pogba, Berbatov, Hernandez.

Liverpool: Reina; Jose Enrique, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson; Downing (booked 45, Bellamy 61), Gerrard,  Spearing (Carroll 61), Kuyt (Adam 75), Henderson; Suarez (scored 79:55). 4-5-1
Subs not used: Doni, Carragher, Kelly, Shelvey.

1st & 2nd half stats:
United-Liverpool
Attempts: 6-4 & 5-3
On target: 3-2 & 3-2
Offsides: 0-1 & 0-3
Corners: 2-2 & 1-1
Free kicks: 5-4 & 5-4
Possession: 62%-38% (BBC, 22 mins), 57.8%-42.2% (Sky, 23 mins), 55.9%-44.1% (1st half, Sky), 52%-48% (BBC, 67 mins), 54.1%-45.9% (Sky, 67 mins), 47%-53% (2nd half possession up to 76. minute, Sky) , 54.6%-45.4% (2nd half, Sky), 54%-46% (FT, Sky), 47%-53% (FT, BBC).

Sky Stats:
United-Liverpool
Passing Success: 87.9%-81.7%
Tackles/Success: 23/78.3%-21/76.2%
Territorial Advantage: 50.1%-49.9%
Action Areas: United 13%-74%-13% Liverpool

Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the match: Wayne Rooney

King Kenny's big return = defeat against Fergie

Sports - Football - FA Cup 3rd round - Man Utd 1:0 Liverpool

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish had no happy return after seeing his side concede a penalty within half a minute, fall behind within two minutes and then go down to ten men with skipper Steven Gerrard seeing red just past the half-hour mark, all adding up and leading to a 1-0 defeat against their bitter rivals and league leaders Manchester United to kick them out of the FA Cup in the third round leaving the Europa League as the only possibility for silverware this season.

It was King Kenny's first game as caretaker manager, replacing booman Roy Hodgson just a couple of days ago after his 6-month short stint, just over 20 years after his successful reign as Reds manager which included three league titles, two FA Cups and a 4-0 demolition of United which nearly cost Sir Alex Ferguson his job.

So, hopes were not high but better. But a couple of decades on, the men, the teams and the match drew a very different picture.

Dimitar Berbatov went down in the box late after the slightest of semi-tackle-touches by Daniel Agger with hardly half a minute on the clock. Ryan Giggs took the spot kick nice, strong and confident, into the right corner, shaving past a diving Pepe Reina, United could not have wished for a better start.

Liverpool took a bit to come to terms with the early setback but made some fine one-twos, creating some good interplay, Fernando Torres, Maxi Rodriguez and Gerrard coming close whilst United hardly showed up at the other end.

But then it all went from bad to worse for Liverpool: Stevie G. slid in with both feet on Michael Carrick and was given a straight red by World Cup final referee Howard Webb, after a little delay with all the players surrounding him in protest.

In contrast to the penalty, the replays confirmed and made this decision much more clear cut, the skipper had to go.

Down by a goal and a man, Liverpool seemed to get a grip whilst United took more of a step back or the foot off the gas rather than going forward and putting pressure on and taking advantage of the extra man, although they nearly doubled the advantage just before the break when Jonny Evans headed Giggs' corner off the post.

Liverpool showed some fine team work in the second half, Fabio Aurelio pulling a great save out of Tomasz Kuszczak diving and keeping out the strong free kick shot from the top right corner.

Reina didn't have much to do after the penalty, apart from a couple of crazy minutes in the second half when he brilliantly kept out shots by Rafael, Berbatov and Patrice Evra in quick succession.

Liverpool fought on well after that but never got close enough, not quite there. But they can take some encouragement from the second half performance, as at half time many would have predicted a reverse of the last time Dalglish faced and nearly smashed and crashed Ferguson 4-0.

It didn't come to that and now the Reds have to be strong as ever, with their skipper suspended for the next three games including none other than the Merseyside derby - see what Kenny boy can do... Come back from retirement and make a return on the pitch just as he has off it???

Man Utd: Kuszczak; Evra, Ferdinand, Rafael Da Silva, Evans (Smalling 84); Giggs, Carrick, Nani, Fletcher (booked 9, Anderson 62, booked 64); Berbatov, Hernandez (Owen 75).
Subs not used: Lindegaard, Fabio Da Silva, Gibson, Obertan.

Liverpool: Reina; Agger, Aurelio, Kelly, Skrtel; Raul Meireles (Shelvey 60), Gerrard (sent off 32), Maxi (Babel 60), Lucas; Torres (Ngog 77), Kuyt.
Subs not used: Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Poulsen.

BBC stats:
Man Utd-Liverpool
Attempts: 16-13
On target: 10-5
Corners: 11-3
Free kicks: 7-11
Possession: 42%-58%


Sky Sports stats:
Man Utd-Liverpool
Attempts: 17-12
On target: 9-4
Offsides: 4-2
Corners: 11-3
Free kicks: 7-10
Possession: 62%-38%
Passing Success: 84.1%-72.5%
Tackles/Success: 21/76.2%-32/71.9%
Territorial Advantage: 39.9%-60.1

Referee: Howard Webb
Man of the match: Dimitar Berbatov

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Top game: Manchester United's win against Portsmouth and the flood of goals at West Ham against Burnley. The prior was more of a contest than expected - in the first half that is, but then United capitalised as usual. The Hammers looked like they were going to throw away a comfortable lead, well, not really in then end. Entertaining twists and turns all the way, all one way in the end, for United and West Ham.

Top teams: Chelsea and Portsmouth; Chelsea outplayed and -classed Arsenal, who squandered the chance of catching up with the top two, whilst the score looked harsh against Pompey. They were on top in the first half, it just all crumbled to bits in the second half. It was still a good reply to all the problems behind the scenes and the change of management. It was an encouraging display for Avram Grant to work with and make progress.

Top player: Didier Drogba; I can only say again and again, I wonder how the Blues will do without him when he departs for the African Cup of Nations in January... Ryan Giggs is another obvious choice, his date will never run out with United it seems.

Top goal: Ivan Klasnic's smart turn and finish for Bolton wins it for me. Fulham had enough chances to come, take and go with all three points but instead they had to settle for a point thanks to the lively Croatian striker. I loved Hull City's celebration to their equaliser against City, cheeky.

Flop game: Everton were unlucky not to get anything out of the derby, they were so much better than Liverpool. Jo nearly got a hat-trick of disallowed goals and the opening goal for the Reds was against the run of play and undeserved. Unlucky for the Toffees... I honestly do not know what Liverpool expect from such lacking performances, three points is definitely not worthily!

Flop team: Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool... I will not repeat it again. Anyway, what was up with Spurs after thrashing Wigan 9-1 the other week, they looked very subdued and the shadow of that side this week?! What a contrast! Harry Redknapp will hopefully have a word...

Flop referees: What the hell was going on with the referees this weekend?! Penalty after penalty given, goals disallowed left, right and center... If that was supposed to be a clear stance against video referees, that they can do the job without technological help, they are having a laugh!

Flop goal: Again, Liverpool's opener... It was just a lucky (or unlucky, depending on which side you see it from) deflection off Joseph Yobo, Yossi Benayoun's shot looked like it would have otherwise gone wide. Dirk Kuyt's goal just added salt onto the wound, an easy tap-in as Everton looked to have given up and run down after all their dominance. Both goals came against run of play.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Aston Villa 1:2 Tottenham - 1:1

Blackburn 1:1 Stoke - 0:0

Fulham 2:1 Bolton - 1:1

Man City 3:0 Hull City - 1:1

Portsmouth 0:2 Man Utd - 1:4

West Ham 2:2 Burnley - 5:3

Wigan 1:1 Sunderland - 1:0

Arsenal 2:1 Chelsea - 0:3

Everton 1:1 Liverpool - 0:2

Wolves 1:1 Birmingham - 0:1