Player Ratings: LIVERPOOL FC V Manchester United

Liverpool hosted Manchester United in a very exciting yet controversy laden match at Anfield this Sunday. United came to Merseyside hoping for their first League win at Anfield since the 2007-2008 season. Thanks to two huge calls made by referee, Mark Halsey, United succeeded in their quest with a 2-1 victory over the Reds.

The occasion was big and the teams showed maturity on the pitch; however the referee chose to make himself the centerpiece of the story.

Jonjo Shelvey was given a direct red card by the referee Mark Halsey following a tackle on United’s Johnny Evans, replays and photographs showed otherwise. Both players went for the ball fully committed.  Evans looked to have gotten to the ball a bit early, but did so with a two-footed, studs up tackle. Shelvey also went in studs up, but at best it looked like a simple yellow card tackle. Certainly, if red were to be shown it should have been on both players, but that was not to be.

A man down and not even 40 minutes on the clock, Liverpool still showed heart in not only taking the clean sheet to the half, but by taking an early lead in the second half when Steven Gerrard slotted home past a flailing Anders Lindergaard in the United goal to put the home team up 1-0 in the 46^th minute.

The lead lasted only for six minutes though,  Rafael da Silva’s beautifully placed curler past Reina restored parity. United with one man advantage over the Reds, seemed to be on the front foot. However Liverpool showed the same determination they showed throughout the first half, and continued to create chances for themselves by playing short crisp passes and staying true to their game despite the man disadvantage.

The match however was undone through a combination of insidious play by Antonio Valencia, and hapless officiating by Halsey.  One never likes to make the officiating the centerpiece of a match of this importance, however Mark Halsey had other plans and showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot after Valencia went down in the Liverpool penalty box. Replays showed that neither Reina nor Johnson get a touch on Valencia.

After a four and a half minute delay for treatment to Agger, who collided with a teammate in the process leading to the penalty, Robin Van Persie slotted home despite a great attempt by Pepe Reina, to give the visitors the lead. It was a controversial finish on a day which saw tributes paid by both teams to the memory of the Hillsborough victims.

Having said that, there are still a lot of positives for Liverpool to take and here is a look at how the Reds fared in what otherwise could have a memorable day. Sadly, the moment proved too big for the referee as he put in a performance that failed to match the occasion.

Pepe Reina— Reina had a quiet game on Sunday and, in fact, he wasn’t asked to do much – United had about 3 shots on target. While he could not have done anything to stop Rafael’s goal, he did well enough to get a hand on Van Persie’s penalty shot, but the force on the shot was a bit too much for the Spaniard who could not stop it from going in.

Player rating: 6.5/10

Martin Kelly — Brendan Rodgers’ decision to start with Kelly on right back position leaving José Enrique on the bench for this big match, may have raised some eyebrows.  But the youngster did not disappoint. His commitment was there to be seen and he did well in helping the attack while keeping his defensive duties in his mind.

Player rating: 7/10

Daniel Agger (Jamie Carragher, 80^th)— Agger had a relatively quiet game in central defense for Liverpool. Liverpool’s dominance in the midfield gave him the license to make occasional runs from the back, drawing a foul for a free kick in the process early in the game. Had to be taken off due to an injury in the 80^th minute after he collided with a teammate.

Player rating: 6.5/10

Martin Skrtel— Skrtel, like Agger, did not have much to do for the large part of the game, especially in the first half due to Liverpool’s dominance. Had a busier second half, but did a good job in keeping the line. His job was made easier by the work of the Liverpool midfield.

Player rating: 6.5/10

Glen Johnson— Johnson, though guilty of giving away the highly debatable penalty, had a great game in the left back role.  Apart from the penalty decision, which in my opinion should not have been given, the England international did not put a foot wrong the entire game; intercepting balls, defensive headers and supporting the attack.

Player rating: 7/10

Joe Allen— Joe Allen once again showed why Brendan Rodgers paid £15m to sign him. Great with possession and distribution, this little Welshman dictated the terms in midfield and made the position his own. Liverpool’s dominance on the ball was largely the result of them working the offense through Allen.

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Player rating: 7/10

Steven Gerrard— The bigger the occasion, the higher Captain Fantastic rose. Gerrard lead the team with discipline and great energy. Gerrard looked tireless for the entire match, constantly tracking back deep, intercepting around midfield and taking the ball forward to attack with seeming abandon.  His was a well-taken, well-placed shot on goal to open his season account.  The celebration came as just a fitting tribute to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough tragedy.

Player rating: 8/10

Jonjo Shelvey (Red card, 39^th)— The England U-21 is improving all-round as a player, however he has a knack of  lunging into reckless challenges.  Although the red card was harsh, it was always a dangerous challenge to make.

Player rating: 5/10

Fabio Borini (Suso 45^th) — Borini showed small glimpses of what he can do on the pitch, but just occasionally. Though taken off at half time for Suso, in this match, he showed that he is getting better with each game.

Player rating: 6/10

Raheem Sterling (Jordan Henderson, 66^th)— Sterling tormented United defender, Patrice Evra, until being subbed out in the second half.  Though sometimes he still lacks the maturity in his play, Sterling has been the player of the season so far, well in the line with Joe Allen. He is showing good understanding with Suarez, which is a great sign for Liverpool.

Player rating: 7.5/10

Luis Suárez — While everyone was wondering, will he or won’t he, Suarez started the match on a positive note by shaking Evra’s hand and built on it throughout the game. Unlucky not to have scored, he still had a brilliant game and created a number of chances early in the game with his interplay with Sterling, even if his finishing continued to desert him.

Player rating: 8/10

Substitutes

Suso (On for Borini in the 45^th minute) — “Super Sub” of the match, Suso had an immediate impact on the game after coming on for Borini at half time. His exchange with Johnson resulted in the Gerrard’s goal.  Was guilty of giving away the ball leading to the Valencia penalty, though he had a very impressive 45 minutes otherwise. More playing time for the youngster and he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Player rating: 7/10

Jordan Henderson (On for Sterling in the 66^th minute) — Came on for Sterling and had a decent game, particularly effective in playing within his role of shoring up the defensive midfield with Liverpool down a man.

Player rating: 6/10

Jamie Carragher (On for Agger in the 80^th minute) — Not much of time to make any impact for the veteran, but while he was on the pitch did not make any mistakes and made some interceptions late in the match.

Player rating: 6/10

Unused Subs:

Brad Jones, Nuri Sahin, Oussama Assaidi, José Enrique.