Manchester United earned a 1-1 draw against Liverpool with Javier Hernandez’ late equalizer on Saturday.  Kenny Dalglish now hasn’t lost to his fellow Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson, in four tries at Anfield, and though Liverpool should have secured a victory, both clubs may very well be happy with the result.

Steven Gerrard made his first start for Liverpool in six months, following a groin injury, and then an infection in the area.  He marked his return with a 68^th minute free kick which found its way through the United wall from 25 meters out.

 "The free kick wasn't the best, the intention was to get it over the wall, but a couple of years ago at Old Trafford the same thing happened, the wall split.  Maybe it's just the bit of luck I was looking for in my first game back.”

Ryan Giggs was at fault for creating the “split” in the wall, but no matter the flukish hand of fate, Gerrard was more than happy to have the break go Liverpool’s way.  The lead would last only 13 minutes however, as Hernandez would elude Martin Skrtel in the 81^st minute to draw United level.

The game started in a disjointed fashion and remained that way for just over an hour, before Gerrard’s opening tally brought the festivities to life.  Almost immediately, Ferguson countered by bringing firepower off his bench, and it was game on.

It was a rather curious decision by Ferguson to start the match with Wayne Rooney, Nani and Hernandez on the bench, and even more curious to start teenage defender Phil Jones in midfield.

Liverpool benefited from the conservative strategy by enjoying the bulk of possession in the first half.  Possession without penetration is…well, we all know how that goes, and Liverpool may very well be thinking today of what might have been.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

As always, player ratings are presented by position (back-to-front) below, along the following guidelines:

10: Exceptional—superlative performances only.

9: Excellent—outstanding performance.

8: Impressive—very influential game.

7: Very good—eye-catching game.

6: Average—good game, but nothing overly impressive.

5: Below Average—decent performance, but with some faults.

4: Poor—many faults, performance stands out for all the wrong reasons.

Additionally, any performance which affects the outcome of the game will increase or decrease a player’s rating by half a point (.5)

Reina— hasn’t been at his best this season, and this match was no different. Almost fumbled an opportunity right into the lap of Danny Welbeck in the 48th minute, but fortunately the ball bounded harmlessly off to the side.  That miscue aside, he was hardly tested most of the afternoon, and while he failed yet again to record a clean sheet, he can hardly be faulted for that.  Grade 6.5

Martin Kelly— had a tremendous game day at right back.  Rumor from the Manchester camp was that Ashley Young played in this game, not that you could tell from reading the match reports or from watching the game, frankly.  There’s been a rising chorus championing Kelly over Glen Johnson at right back. With more performances like today, that din is likely to become a roar.  Grade 8

Jamie Carragher— had another very good game in central defense, and continues his renaissance after a very dodgy start to the season.  Grade 7

Martin Skrtel— continues to keep a fit-again Daniel Agger out of the side, which is both surprising and disappointing. Skrtel failed to keep track of Javier Hernandez in the 81st, allowing the Mexican striker to salvage a point for United   Grade 6

Enrique— was his usual brilliant self on Saturday.  His one gaffe was that he allowed Ji-Sung Park to nip the ball from him and go in on goal in the 41st.  Other than that, Enrique kept the United wing player in his back pocket.  Grade 7.5 

Lucas Leiva (Henderson 57’)— was booked for the third straight game after a foul on Park.  To be fair, the tackle looked a great deal worse than it really was, but with the game starting to get chippy, referee Andre Marriner probably felt he needed to put a clamp on things. Unfortunately for Lucas, he drew the short straw, and his fifth yellow card of the season means he will sit out the Norwich encounter.  Otherwise, he had a stellar game in the defensive midfield.  Grade 7

Adam— had a decent game in midfield today, and his aggressiveness in taking on the space created by a retreating United midfield resulted in Liverpool’s only item on the day.  There remains much room for improvement in his game, but he was not the defensive liability he’s been of late, and there was a welcomed zip and dynamism in his corners.  Grade 6.5

Kuyt— continues to justify Dalglish’s decision to start him over Jordan Henderson.  His lack of finishing is emblematic of the entire team, but his continued good form for The Netherlands is a good omen for Liverpool. Had a golden opportunity denied by David De Gea in the 82nd, and arguably should have done better with it.  Grade 7

Downing— had another relatively quiet game today and Dalglish must guard against this becoming a trend. Liverpool needs Downing to be much more assertive than he has been to date, as would befit a player who commanded as steep a transfer fee as he did.  Not that the effort was lacking, but on a number of occasions he and Enrique seemed to get in each other’s way down the left flank, rather than complementing each other.  This must change if Liverpool is to challenge for the top spot. Grade 6

Gerrard— made his first start for Liverpool in six months, and was he ever fired up on his return.  For most of the game his contribution was more about activity rather than productivity, but as the rust wore off and the training ground lessons with his new teammates started to stick, flashes of occasional brilliance shone through. 

One could see them in the neat give-and-gos, with Kuyt and Adam in particular, and in the sheer hustle and defensive tenacity he showed.  While not in itself a thing of beauty, his free kick was all the inspiration Liverpool needed, and they should have taken three points from the encounter.  Grade 8.5

Suárez — seems to have lost a bit of sharpness to his game of late, as too often we are starting to bemoan his failure to capitalize on opportunities.  The game’s first real opportunity fell to the Uruguayan after Charlie Adam’s blocked effort in the 35th fell invitingly at his feet.  After turning Johnny Evans a couple times he fired off a tepid attempt, which unfortunately went straight to De Gea.  He should have done better, but nonetheless threatened the United back line and had Rio Ferdinand on his toes all day. 

An ugly incident with Patrice Evra has boiled over into allegations of racial abuse by the Frenchman, and the FA is said to be investigating.  One hopes that there is no truth to the allegations, but if true, then he deserves to be shamed.  In all fairness to him, he has denied the allegations, and until proven guilty, deserves the benefit of the doubt.  Grade 7.5

Substitutes

Henderson— kept his attitude positive while dealing with being benched in favor of Kuyt, and it shows. Came on for Lucas 10 minutes into the second half and immediately got in on the action, tackling hard and tracking back to help stanch the attack from a United squad invigorated by substitutes Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier Hernandez. Almost had a 90th-minute winner, but was denied by a terrific save by De Gea. Grade 7

Unused: Alexander Doni, Jack Robinson, Jay Spearing, Daniel Agger, Craig Bellamy, Andy Carroll