David Moyes Shows Relief as Manchester United See Off Liverpool Threat

It is often said that the sign of great champions is their reaction to defeat.

With a fixture against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup last night, Manchester United had an immediate opportunity to exorcise the memory of Sunday’s chastening humiliation at the hands Manchester City.

It was reported that David Moyes delivered his first “hairdryer” rant to the players both during and after Sunday’s defeat. The first 20 minutes of the second half of that match appeared to suggest that the blast was as meek as those from the free hairdryers outside the changing rooms at public swimming pools.

Therefore, a match in a tournament that is usually very low on champions’ lists of priorities suddenly took on a much greater meaning. It will have helped that it was also against United's great rivals from Merseyside.

David Moyes had an important decision to make when picking his team. Stick with the same side, and give them a chance to redeem themselves? Or make wholesale changes, and bring in some of the players that have been on the periphery of the team so far this season?

The lineup the Scot chose was mainly from the latter group. Only David De Gea, Wayne Rooney and Chris Smalling survived from the Manchester derby (albeit with Smalling at centre-back, rather than the right-back position he filled at the weekend).

However, it was still a strong team set up to counter a Liverpool side who were also taking the tie very seriously.

It is difficult to decide which was the bigger surprise on the night: the odd centre-midfield pairing of Ryan Giggs and Phil Jones, or the sight of Wayne Rooney wearing the captain’s armband.

This, of course, could just be a reflection of Rooney's recent lively and gutsy performances, but it does seem to indicate that the manager is mounting a charm offensive to show Rooney just how much he believes in him. Certainly, with United unable to make any major signings over the summer other than Marouane Fellaini, holding on to an in-form Rooney was a necessity.

Keeping him happy is the next task.

United started strongly, exactly as a side with the double motivation of avoiding back-to-back defeats and players playing for places in the first team should. At times in the first half, though, they did look almost a little too hurried, and passes began to go astray.

Liverpool, meanwhile, grew into the game. Brendan Rodgers has created a side that enjoys possession in every area of the pitch. The return of Luis Suarez to the side can only improve them, and his partnership with Daniel Sturridge will provide an extremely varied focal point for the range of passing that Steven Gerrard can supply. 

A match-fit Suarez would probably have done much more with some of the opportunities that fell his way during the game. Some wayward finishing, slightly heavy first touches, the crossbar and United’s dogged determination in the tackle denied the Uruguayan a successful return from suspension.

Another quick start in the second half saw the movement of Javier Hernandez at a corner leave Jose Enrique flat-footed. The United striker moved into space and improvised with lightning agility to stab the ball into the net.

One accusation leveled at David Moyes is that he is a cautious manager. The 1-0 scoreline gave him something to hold on to, but United’s players are too well versed in the attacking philosophy of the club to throw away those instincts so soon.

Still, although United were on top for most of the second half, there had been a few too many last-gasp challenges and near misses to thwart Liverpool.

Therefore, changes were made in the 73rd minute which suggested the need for calm, with the introduction of Michael Carrick and Adnan Januzaj.

There has been a groundswell of opinion that Shinji Kagawa should be involved more and that both Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes have so far neglected a great talent. Last night was a chance for the Japanese international to stake a claim for a first-team place.

We saw that talent only in glimpses last night. Kagawa is too much of a free spirit to be able to stick to the wing position he is regularly asked to occupy, and he often drifted inside. The puzzle of fitting him into a balanced formation has so far remained unsolved. It was a shame that, just as he was having his best period of the game—culminating in a rasping long-range effort that grazed the crossbar—he was substituted.

United did hold on, and although not a massive display of power, it was a decent performance against a strong Liverpool side that answered the immediate question of whether their new manager could get a positive reaction from the team. Unfortunately for Moyes, questions will continue to be asked as the season develops.

Old Trafford has not sounded as loud as this for quite some time, a sure sign that the supporters recognized that a reaction was required from them also. A joyous cheer greeted the final whistle—as much a display of relief as it was of celebration.

That same relief was writ large all over David Moyes’ face as he raised his fists to pump the air and salute the Stretford End.