Liverpool vs Manchester United: 5 Things We Learned from the Derby

Liverpool sent Manchester United packing out of the FA Cup after Dirk Kuyt’s late strike sealed the game at 2-1 for the Merseysiders.

The result also means that it is the first time since the 2001-02 season that Manchester United has failed to clear the fourth round.

Of course, that doesn’t include their third-round defeat to Leeds United a couple of seasons earlier!

Luis Suarez was in good spirits as he watched the game from the stands, showing immense pleasure when Kuyt made Patrice Evra pay heavily for his defensive mistake.

It was a forgettable night for the Frenchman, as he could make no significant impact to the game’s proceedings with the Kop on his back right through, booing him every time he got the ball.

So as the victory feeling sinks in, let’s take a look at the five things that were worth noticing from the north-west derby.

David de Gea

This kid certainly needs an eye operation, pronto!

He looked very much out-of-sorts in this game—spilling comfortable saves and getting outmuscled by the attackers.

Having already lost his regular starting berth to Anders Lindegaard, de Gea hoped for a better performance to help him regain that. But it was not to be.

He should consider himself fortunate, as Fergie opted to save the young Spaniard from embarrassment by not substituting him for Lindegaard, who was at one point warming up to come on.

I’m sure de Gea wants to see this bad phase end quickly as much as Sir Alex Ferguson does.

He has time on his side, but he should get his eye patched up—and somebody please tell the kid to start lifting some weights!

Andy Carroll

What an improved performance Andy Carroll showed today!

The Gateshead-born striker showed signs of his ability, as he jumped high to deflect Pepe Reina’s long kick into the path of Dirk Kuyt for Liverpool’s winner.

He also played his part in Liverpool’s first, as it was his presence that let an unmarked Daniel Agger coolly head home to give them the lead.

The tall Geordie troubled the inexperienced Manchester United defence, even coming very close to grabbing a goal to his name—only to be denied by the crossbar in the dying embers of the game.

If Carroll can keep his focus and build on from this, then he’ll prove very soon why Kenny Dalglish splashed the cash on him last year.

And here is an article that discusses how best to use Andy Carroll.

Injured Players Missed

One of the biggest shortcomings for Manchester United was having several of their players out injured.

Wayne Rooney, Nani and Phil Jones were out courtesy of the injuries picked up during the league game against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Nemanja Vidić is out for the season, while Rio Ferdinand—despite making it to the bench—didn’t feature in the match.

Danny Welbeck couldn’t make a difference, and neither could substitutes Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov.

Antonio Valencia continued his brilliant run of form, troubling Jose Enrique and limiting the Spaniard’s forward runs, and hitting the goalpost with a shot from 20 yards.

But even he couldn’t stop Manchester United—in only their second defeat in 17 away fixtures—from going out of the competition.

Paul Scholes

How important is Scholes to Man United?

I can’t believe the fact that Manchester United hasn’t managed to replace this man with a top player.

Although his performances aren’t as great as they used to be, Paul Scholes is still the one holding together the Man United midfield at this time.

Scholes’ substitution in the 76th minute was perhaps the decisive one.

Bringing on Javier Hernandez was an attacking move by Ferguson, but the tempo of the game changed over its head, leading to an extended period of Liverpool dominance.

Despite Evra being the one to blame for the second goal, the absence of Scholes was also an important factor.

Will this prompt Sir Alex Ferguson to take the plunge on Luka Modrić or will he wait till the summer to get Sneijder?

Dirk Kuyt

The Dutchman earns himself a spot in this slide show for his late winner.

Dirk Kuyt came on as a 63rd-minute substitute for the Argentinean Maxi Rodriguez, who had an average match, and fired home the winner in the 88th minute past a hapless de Gea.

Kuyt coming on as a late substitute has come in handy in recent matches.

If only Kenny could turn Kuyt into a super-sub, like Ole Gunnar Solskjær was for Manchester United.

I need to remind you that I had discussed, in one of my other articles, about the possibility of moving Kuyt on in the summer.

But if he can be this instrumental, positively influencing the game going forward—then I’d say keeping Kuyt wouldn’t be a bad option.

Then again, the summer is a long way away.

Congratulations to Dirk Kuyt!

But what do you think the odds are that we draw Everton at home for the fifth round…??

Keep guessing…And in the meantime, check out my other articles here and here.