Twenty five seconds. That was the time that elapsed between Raheem Sterling’s miss for Liverpool at one end and Wayne Rooney’s opening goal for Manchester United at the other. It seemed to confirm the old line about the tiny margins between success and failure in sport, but don’t let that fool you. If the game turned on that slim passage of play, by the end there was a chasm between these clubs.
At the end, Sterling lay flat in the centre circle and pulled the neck of his shirt over his head. He no doubt blamed himself for what went horribly wrong here yesterday, but there were several other factors, not least the excellence of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.
United’s superior finishing was an element, too, and a linesman’s mistake that aided their second goal. Bottom line, though, United were the better team. Liverpool may have got into scoring positions more frequently, and knocked it about well at times, but such classy flourishes are redundant without the cutting edge. United have that, Liverpool do not. It is the difference between title contention and mid-table torpor; the difference between three and nil.
Both teams are still works in progress, but on this evidence United are now significantly ahead. Neither have particularly outstanding defences but United’s is growing the more time spent with coach Louis van Gaal and, despite injuries, six wins on the trot have been achieved at a cost of just three goals. Equally, Van Gaal has front-loaded his team in trademark Dutch style and is gaining momentum.
There is little defensive quality in the Premier League right now, meaning a team with a strong attack will flourish — as United’s recent record indicates.
And while Liverpool are floundering, having been shorn of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge this season, United have an almost endless supply of stellar talent: Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata in the starting line-up, Radamel Falcao and Adnan Januzaj on the bench, Angel di Maria on the treatment table. Liverpool had more chances, but United were two goals clear by half-time and coasted home, thanks to De Gea’s brilliance. It said it all.
There can barely have been a more brutal example of the need to make scoring opportunities count. In real time just 25 seconds separated the moment when Liverpool should have taken the lead, and the moment when Manchester United did.
Penalty shootouts aside, it is hard to imagine a miss that has ever been placed in sharper relief.
Liverpool had started impressively, had already come close through Martin Skrtel and seen Marouane Fellaini go into the book when Sterling’s opportunity came. Adam Lallana slipped the ball in and his fellow England man was left with only De Gea to beat. A year ago, he would have been hotly fancied to score.
Yet Sterling has endured an indifferent season, despite the haggling over a much-improved new contract, and his finish was tame and directed straight at the goalkeeper. The player nearest to him when he shot was Rooney. Keep that in mind.
Danger over, United swept upfield through Antonio Valencia. He nutmegged Joe Allen on the way and no Liverpool player seemed greatly compelled to stop his progress. Rooney, meanwhile, was making ground box to box like a lunatic as the great players do. Valencia cut the ball back and Rooney, playing in the Paul Scholes role, ran on to it like, well, Paul Scholes. There is no finer compliment around these parts.
He finished like him, too. Low, powerful, precise, somehow wrong-footing Brad Jones — replacing the off-form Simon Mignolet in goal — from distance. Old Trafford was ecstatic, Sterling stood near the halfway line, awkward and embarrassed. He shuffled on the spot, feeling the responsibility, knowing eyes were on him. He was right, too. Liverpool never recovered from that reversal of fortune.
It may be raised as mitigation that Sterling is a forward, not a striker, an attacking midfield player, not a straight-out match-winner. It is not much of an excuse. Recent speculation suggests there are people around Sterling with grand ambitions for their man — Real Madrid ambitions, Gareth Bale ambitions. But Real Madrid players score those. Indeed, a Real Madrid player given the chances that fell to Sterling yesterday might expect to be going home with the match ball as well as three points. It was far from his only aberration.
In the 23rd minute, Alberto Moreno put Sterling in and he turned Phil Jones perfectly, only to be met with the obstacle of De Gea again. Arguably the most improved player in the Premier League — there is a strong case for De Gea being the competition’s best goalkeeper this season — he stood tall and saved again. It was a more powerful shot this time, but not smartly aimed. Worse was to come.
In the 52nd minute, with Liverpool now trailing by two, Jonny Evans played a back pass that seemed designed to afford the visitors a chance to get back in it. This fell to Sterling in the sort of space city developers drool over, and he first took it to De Gea’s right. It looked as if he might have succeeded in rounding him, but the duel ended predictably: a poor shot, at De Gea, the opportunity lost. The ball went up the other end and Rooney almost scored again. It was a rare miss by the home side. As at Southampton on Monday, Manchester United were clinical — even if crucially supported by the officials.
Their second came in the 40th minute — a classic poacher’s goal, but requiring a helping of good fortune. Ashley Young crossed from the left, Van Persie flicked the ball on and Mata stole in at the far post to stoop and head the ball into an unguarded net. One can only presume the linesman did not think Van Persie got a touch — because Mata was a yard offside. Liverpool’s defenders looked aghast but protest was useless. Having failed to make their own luck, they certainly weren’t going to catch a break here.
This was, in no small part, due to De Gea. Mario Balotelli was introduced at half-time but, like Sterling, he could find no way through. After 67 minutes, Sterling turned provider — he seemed happier in that role — cutting the ball back for the Italian in the penalty area. He hit a mighty shot but De Gea was mightier, diverting it with both hands on to the bar. Jordan Henderson fed Balotelli after 83 minutes, but De Gea saved it.
He went through one-on-one a minute later and De Gea was there again. Rio Ferdinand said he sees the goalkeeper fast approaching the status of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar. It is too soon for that just yet, perhaps, but maybe one day. Certainly, if looking for value in the English market this summer, Real Madrid might be better off pursuing him ahead of Sterling.
It only remained for United to end the game as a contest. There were 71 minutes gone when Rooney broke and crossed, only for Dejan Lovren to make a horrible mess of the clearance under little pressure. He played it straight to Mata, who put in Van Persie on the right overlap. Liverpool were so torn that Jones did not even dive as the ball flew past him.
Liverpool and Sterling will think hard about those 25 seconds; but by the end identifying the difference between the teams did not require the precision of a stopwatch. – Daily Mail