Firmino and Sturridge scored in a game that certainly did not please anyone from the Red Devils opposite stand at Anfield. Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance, along with David Gill and the pair will not have been pleased, as they watched Liverpool achieve a two-goal cushion in the ‘mother’ of all matches. LVG’s tactics, philosophies, lineup, changes, strategies never completed the on-field players’ style and rather added to the disappointment and misery of personal woes for United last evening. As a result, the Reds stay in pole position to progress to the Europa League quarter-finals upsetting yet another title-hunt of their biggest arch-rivals from the other side – the Red Devils.
Having jeopardized next season’s Champions League qualification more than once now, a goal from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino each send Jurgen Klopp’s Reds to Old Trafford next week with a two-goal advantage that could prove decisive and well be the difference between these great clubs fighting it out for European existence which the fans around the world have validated by calling it the English ‘Clasico’ not living up to the expectations, clearly.
Here are 5 things we learned at Anfield:
- Memphis Depay is not United’s go-to man at the big stage.
Depay was shown a yellow card after giving away the penalty and looked disappointing again playing away at Anfield. In games when United don’t really need his services outrightly is the time Memphis decide to step his game up providing all the skills and goals to the team. Depay might have talent but what this game showed, again, was the move to such a big stage has happened too soon.In the game, Depay, who conceded the foul awarding Liverpool the spot kick from which Daniel Sturridge put Liverpool in front, had an abysmal night, with his passes never finding a white shirt and his shots invariably went high and horribly wide. It would be unfair to make him the scapegoat for the worst performance United have produced at Anfield since the 1980’s but he was a symbol of how bad they have become.
