Liverpool vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from 2016 Europa League Game
It's Liverpool who have the advantage in their historic Europa League tie with Manchester United, as they roared to a 2-0 win at Anfield in the first leg on Thursday.
Daniel Sturridge put Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot in the 20th minute, and had it not been for a string of saves from David De Gea in the Red Devils goal, the hosts could have been out of sight before half-time. With 15 minutes remaining, Roberto Firmino deservedly doubled the home side's lead.
As the Liverpool Echo’s James Pearce relayed, ahead of the first-ever meeting between the two sides in European competition, there was a brilliant atmosphere at the iconic stadium:
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The fiery mood in the stands manifested on the field as the game kicked off, although referee Carlos Velasco Carballo calmed things down quickly, booking Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson inside two minutes for a rash foul.
From there, the game did settle down, although the home side carried a greater threat in general play, with Philippe Coutinho and Firmino probing at the United back four. And it was a brilliant pass from the latter into the path of Nathaniel Clyne that paved the way for the first goal.
The full-back was tugged back by Chris Smalling and fell to the floor, and the referee pointed to the spot. Then, under massive pressure, Sturridge kept his composure to slot home, via the BBC's Ben Smith:
It was a goal that buoyed the Reds, and they should have doubled their lead before the break. Great credit must go to De Gea, however, who pulled off a sequence of brilliant stops to keep the deficit to just one.
The first was from Coutinho after a neat centre from Sturridge, with the Spaniard getting back on the goal line to claw the ball away. While the goal was gaping for the Liverpool No. 10, World Soccer Talk’s Amadi Tidiane Thiam praised the diligence of the stopper, who never gave up the ghost:
"On second look, people will say, "Coutinho should do better.' Yes, he should. But De Gea never quit. His effort probably unsettled Coutinho.
— amadí tídíane thiam (@amadoit2) March 10, 2016"
Then it was the striker’s turn to be foiled by De Gea, as he did brilliantly to keep a shot out. And just before the referee blew for half-time, he was on hand again to turn away a strike from Adam Lallana. United looked relieved as they trudged off; they'd been clinging on for much of the opening period.
Bleacher Report’s Rob Blanchette was far from impressed with the tactics deployed by United, who had been emphatically outplayed:
"I don’t even think LFC have played well. We’re making them look amazing. They’re average but we’re just a shambolic mess. #MUFC
— Rob B. (@_Rob_B) March 10, 2016"
Clearly sensing that his players were getting overrun by the Liverpool press, manager Louis van Gaal looked to shore things up, bringing on the experienced Michael Carrick in place of Marcus Rashford, who had been deployed out of position for the first 45 minutes, and switching to a three-man defence.
Still, it was Liverpool who were the most lively in the early stages of the half, with a stinging, dipping effort from Coutinho prompting De Gea into action once again. United were able to eventually establish a better foothold in the clash, though, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp responded by bringing on Joe Allen in place of Daniel Sturridge.
The Red Devils were looking strong in possession, but the better chances continued to fall Liverpool's way, with Henderson slicing a shot wide from the edge of the area when unchallenged. But as the home side attacked the towering Kop end, the pressure told on United.
Indeed, it was the man introduced at half-time, Carrick, who atrociously skewed a clearance, allowing Lallana to set up Firmino for a simple finish. As noted by WhoScored.com, the Brazilian, who played wonderfully on the night, is finding his feet on Merseyside:
Although an away goal in the last 15 minutes would have put United in a much-improved position, the response from the visitors, as it had been all evening, was essentially nonexistent. Their attacking endeavours were toothless, with Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay unable to pose any worries to the Liverpool defence.
It allowed Liverpool to see out the final stages with little to worry about before a backdrop of delighted supporters, giving their great rivals a mountain to climb in the return leg.
Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail had some scathing words for United and their manager following this shocking showing:
United will be thankful for the brilliance of their outstanding goalkeeper, and even though this result is a disappointing one, De Gea kept his team's hopes of progression—albeit slender ones—alive. Still, some of the tactical decisions from Van Gaal will have left plenty of Red Devils fans scratching their heads.
Klopp will be delighted with the efforts of his side, though. They harried and hassled United into mistakes all night, and while they could have effectively ended this tie had the team been a little more clinical in front of goal, it was an event to savour for the football club. On this evidence, the trip to Old Trafford in seven days' time will be too.
Post-Match Reaction
Klopp praised the supporters for creating a stellar atmosphere and his players for the manner in which they snuffed out their opponents' attacking threat, per Ian Herbert of the Independent:
United manager Van Gaal paid tribute to the performance afterwards, although he clearly wasn't pleased with the refereeing decisions, which went against his side, per BBC Sport:
"They played very good in the first half and we could not cope with their pressure. David de Gea was fantastic. But we had a cheap penalty and in the second half we changed the shape. We had much more contribution to the game but we didn't create enough.
They scored another cheap goal, he was offside, and that is difficult. Losing 2-0 is a difficult result for us but we have to create an atmosphere like that next week.
"
Speaking on BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport) after the game, former United midfielder Paul Scholes was saddened by the efforts of his former side: "Liverpool had a way of playing. United—I didn't have a clue what they were trying to do. ... It was shambolic. So bad."
