Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool : Player rating

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1127/player-ratings/2009/03/14/1155033/player-ratings-manchester-united-1-4-liverpool

Manchester United

Van der Sar 5.5 - His net took a beating, but to be honest his defenders didn't do him any favours. Perhaps now that the clean sheet record has gone, the floodgates have opened. The veteran could have perhaps made some attempt to save Aurelio's free-kick – the third goal.

O'Shea 6.5 - Was perhaps the least culpable of a United back-four which crumbled today. Stood up well to Riera and then Dossena, at least until the substitute put the icing on the cake.

Ferdinand 5.5 - Rio started well enough, mopping up behind the more beleaguered Vidic. His afternoon would soon become a disaster too, though. He was booked for a challenge on Kuyt and failed to deal with the long ball which played in Dossena.

Vidic 4.5 - The Serb had the strength to marshal Gerrard early on, but then things went completely wrong. He was out-muscled by Torres after dithering, leading to the leveller. The Spaniard well and truly won the battle between the two, although it was the pace of Gerrard which led to him being sent off for hauling down the midfielder.

Evra 5 - The left-back's deliveries weren't forthcoming and then, on the defensive end, he was done by Gerrard for pace. Only he can explain why he chose to dive in, gifting the Reds' skipper the spot-kick chance which he duly concerted.

Ronaldo 5.5 - CR7 wasn't at his best during the first half, despite opening the scoring with a powerful penalty. On many occasions he chose not to shoot from promising free-kick situations – although this could have been instigated by the coaches. He was a passenger during the second half, wandering around with his head down and failing to produce anything worthwhile.

Carrick 5.5 - Had a decent battle with Lucas, which he initially looked to be winning, although his opponent grew into the game. Otherwise, his deliveries were unpredictable, leading to his substitution.

Anderson 5.5 - The Brazilian was in for his energy, but didn't really justify his selection. Had one superb moment, turning swiftly before playing in Park, but was eventually hooked for Scholes.

Park 6.5 - One of the players who gets pass marks, Park's energy was crucial at times. He scampered through to win United's penalty and was busy early in the second half, before United capitulated.

Rooney 7.5 - United's best player by a country mile. He was always chasing lost causes and turning lemons into lemonade, hacking countless wayward crosses back into the danger area. Wherever he was asked to play, and it really did vary, he looked dangerous. He should be more than a utility man, though.

Tevez 7 - Another who worked hard, he played the telling pass which led to United's opener. The Argentine was involved in numerous near things, but the ball wouldn't really fall for him.

Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes came on in a triple change, but 'Pool scored the fourth almost immediately. It was too little, too late.


Liverpool

Reina 5.5 - The 'keeper shouldn't have come off his line to challenge Park and was duly punished for bringing down the wide-man. He guessed the right way, but Ronaldo's power was his undoing. He was also lucky not to gift Tevez a poacher's goal, initially fumbling a Ronaldo free-kick. Thereafter, his team took the pressure off his goal with a masterclass performance.

Carragher 6 - Was forced to play at right-back to accommodate Hyypia and started well, bravely blocking Park's early blast. However, his lack of pace was exposed on more than one occasion and he was eventually booked for a foul on Tevez. Like Reina, would have been relieved to see the rest of the team take the Red Devils by the horns.

Skrtel 7 - It was his ridiculously long ball from his own area which released Torres, assisting Liverpool's equaliser. Although he was booked, it was nevertheless a solid display.

Hyypia 6.5 - A late inclusion to the starting XI after Arbeloa pulled up with a hamstring problem during the warm-up. He did what he had to do, always seeming to be in the right areas and using all his experience.

Aurelio 7 - Covered for his centre-backs well, but his afternoon was set alight by his glorious free-kick, which put the game beyond doubt.

Mascherano 6.5 - The midfielder was booked for persistent fouling after a typically grimy game in the engine room. Perhaps not at his best, but he put himself about well.

Lucas 7 - He let Carrick get away, gifting the England international a good shooting opportunity. However, he was generally assured and eventually came out on top in terms of his battle with Carrick. Scrapped well late on to keep the Reds in pole position.

Kuyt 5.5 - It was a quiet game for the Dutchman, who somehow managed to let a 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford pass him by!

Gerrard 8.5 - Picked up where he left off in midweek. His positive runs were always a problem and they paid dividends when Evra brought him down before half-time, allowing him to dust himself off and convert to put the Reds in front. He was through on goal, forcing Vidic to haul him down and receive his marching orders.

Riera 4.5 - The Reds looked to him early on, but he couldn't make a telling contribution and was hooked.

Torres 8 - Playing without a painkilling injection, unlike in midweek, Torres was again superb. He out-powered the dithering Vidic to tie things up and, although his lack of fitness started to tell, he was always dangerous until Rafa took him off.

Dossena 7 - came on to score with a great chip, making it two off the bench in a week. Babel and El Zhar also looked lively in limited minutes.

Greg Ptolomey, Goal.com