Liverpool vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Europa League
Goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino gave Liverpool a 2-0 victory over rivals Manchester United in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 on Thursday night.
In the first European meeting between the two old rivals, Liverpool were the dominant side throughout the night and thoroughly deserved the win. Sturridge fired the hosts ahead with a 20th-minute penalty, and Firmino doubled the advantage in the 73rd minute following a pass from Adam Lallana.
The result could have been much worse for United, with only goalkeeper David De Gea's six saves preventing a more lopsided scoreline.
"The fans were brilliant, electric. That gave us a great boost," Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson told BBC Sport. "De Gea made some good saves, we created a lot of chances and we felt we could be two or three up."
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winners: Jordan Henderson and Emre Can
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Liverpool controlled this match from start to finish, holding 60 percent of possession while bossing other key statistics such as shots on goal (8-1), corners (7-0) and passes completed (407-293), per UEFA.com's statistics. The hosts had Jordan Henderson and Emre Can to thank for much of that, as the two midfielders kept United completely under wraps in the middle of the pitch.
How dominant were Henderson and Can? As Liverpool's official Twitter account noted late in the second half, those two were responsible for regaining possession 22 times. That's an amazing stat, and it sheds some light on why the home team won this game so comfortably.
Henderson in particular deserves recognition for turning in a commanding performance despite being booked in just the second minute. He had to walk a tightrope for almost the entire game but still produced a robust display in the heart of Liverpool's formation.
Loser: Michael Carrick
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Michael Carrick entered the match at half-time as a substitute for Marcus Rashford. After committing a costly error in the second half, the 34-year-old probably wished he had stayed on the bench.
The howler came in the 73rd minute as Jordan Henderson whipped in a cross from the right. Carrick was in position to clear but miskicked the ball straight to Lallana, who quickly fed Roberto Firmino for a close-range finish.
Before then, United were losing only 1-0 and were very much in the tie despite playing poorly on the night. But this second goal, which resulted directly from Carrick's error, will make their task much more difficult in the second leg.
Carrick was far from the only United player worthy of criticism, but his mistake was especially damaging for his side.
Winner: David De Gea
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If not for David De Gea, Manchester United might have lost this match by four or five goals.
The Spaniard finished with six saves on the night, but that doesn't tell the full story. He made excellent stops in both halves, keeping out Philippe Coutinho from point-blank range in the 42nd minute before denying a Lallana volley eight minutes after the restart.
The poor quality of Liverpool's finishing made De Gea's job a bit easier at times, but it's no stretch to say that he kept United in the tie with a commendable performance.
Loser: Louis van Gaal
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For those who watched Manchester United's glory years of the 1990s and 2000s, this current edition simply doesn't measure up. The club's quality of play under Louis van Gaal has been questioned frequently this season, but this performance marked a new low.
From the very start, United were second-best. Liverpool were faster to every ball, more incisive with their passing and clearly better at every position, save goalkeeper.
With Morgan Schneiderlin and Marouane Fellaini deployed as holding midfielders, the visitors couldn't build anything in possession. That was Van Gaal's fault, as was the decision to deploy Rashford—a young, inexperienced striker—out on the right, with full defensive responsibilities.
"Rashford’s the only player who has had goals in him, so we play him as a right wingback," tweeted Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette. "Utterly bizarre."
Blanchette continued: "The use of Rashford is reprehensible. Giving a kid in goalscoring form overt defensive duties is rubbish tactics."
At full time, United were well beaten, and the inquest began. Van Gaal's tactics were poor, and the team's performance reflected it. Down 2-0, United aren't out of the tie, but there's no way back on this form.
"United have been utterly atrocious tonight," tweeted B/R's Graham Ruthven. "This is a team with no fight, no structure and no quality. Shambolic all over."
How much longer can United allow this to continue?
Winner: Adam Lallana
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Adam Lallana turned in an excellent shift, continuing his progression under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp. His assist in the second half capped a fine performance that should boost his confidence heading into the second leg.
At Squawka, Greg Johnson gave Lallana an eight-out-of-10 rating, noting: "The Englishman’s transformation under Jurgen Klopp continued with another fairly complete performance from the midfielder who poked the ball through for Firmino’s goal and did plenty off the ball to press United from high up the pitch."
Liverpool will be hoping for more of the same next week at Old Trafford.
