Manchester United Vs Liverpool [BPL - 03/21/2010]

As a Reds fan, I was eagerly waiting to watch this one....The team has been playing very well recently , with our hitman Fernando Torres picking up form just at the right time....and even though Manchester United have had their own shining star in England striker Wayne Rooney this season , I was still fancying our chances at Old Trafford, where we gave them an absolute hiding last season.... Both teams had their reasons to win, Manchester United to keep Arsenal humble at the top... And Liverpool to stay on course for that elusive 4th Champions League spot..

Lining up with a 4-2-3-1 formation.. with Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano in the holding roles, and Stevie Gerrard alongwith Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez to support Nando up top..

The Game started pretty well for us, with Fernando Torres winning the ball in midfield , passing to Gerrard, who plays a lovely wide pass for Kuyt on the right, and the Dutchman sets up an inch perfect cross for El Nino to head it past United goalie Van Der Sar with aplomb on the 5 minute mark.. A blistering start for the Reds...Then it was United to attack at the other end.. Antonio Valencia wins the ball on the wing , and is held by Mascherano which ultimately leads to him going down under the challenge and resulting in a penalty for the Red Devils... A poor piece of play by the Argentine skipper... Rooney steps up to take the spot kick , which is brilliantly saved by Pepe Reina, who couldn't do much about the rebound which resulted in a simple tap in for Rooney for his 33rd goal this season..More importantly, it brought us level pegging with them which shouldn't have been the case, but for some shoddy play by Mascherano.... The majority of the possession was controlled by Manchester United , with Torres and Gerrard creating the odd opening... The frantic first half was highlighted by a touchline flair up between the two managers , Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez ....

And the pattern continued in the second half with ManU dominating possession , and Rooney working hard to support wide men Nani and Valencia... But it was Darren Fletcher who created the decisive moment with a neat cross which the ever industrious Ji Sung Park headed past Reina to gain the advantage... Liverpool responded by sending on Aquilani, Babel and Benayoun in the closing stages , and Torres scuffing a good chance at the end, but overall it was ManU who were the better team and no shame in admitting it was a fair result...

Now, enough said about the match.... I personally felt that Rafael Benitez should have played the same team that lined up against Portsmouth, the reason being that Lucas Leiva {sorry for being harsh} just isn't good enough and there was no linkup between the midfield and attack... Aquilani certainly would have provided that...And why play Maxi Rodriguez on the left when its clearly visible that he's more effective on the right.. The young lad Insua is not yet upto the task at the highest level, God I wish we never would have sold Riise... Kuyt also need to look into himself and see if he deserves to play regularly as there are more deserving players like Babel and Benayoun who end up being bit part players due to Benitez's negative tactics...and we as fans should stop blaming Gerrard as the skipper deserves more than what he has achieved at the club....the same for Torres, we need to make a few good signings in the summer to make sure we are competing for top honors next season.... Moreover, this loss means that we are now 4 points behind Spurs having played a game more, and Benitez's guarantee of finishing in the top 4 is hanging by a thread, depending on other contenders to play badly for us to achieve it, and that's the sad part of it, depending for other's favors to achieve your goal....

I , for one , am not a big fan of Rafa-Lution , but yet not the extremist to call for his departure...I think He's a top gaffer, but he needs to stop being defensive and see what's the best for the team to excel ....