Well that was exactly the day that Manchester United fans across the world have been dreaming of since March. After the disasters of the David Moyes era, the home fans have been dreaming of the next time Liverpool would come up on the fixture list, and their team delivered today. Goals from Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie were enough to reverse the scoreline from last March, and United have now won six matches in a row.
David De Gea was absolutely brilliant all throughout the match, and denied Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli a hat trick of chances each. It seems incredible to think there were those who doubted De Gea would become a top class goalkeeper when he made the move to United; he has become one of the world's very best. They needed him all day today, and would not have walked out worthy 3-0 winners without him.
The match began with Liverpool the side in the ascendency. For the opening ten minutes, they looked like the Liverpool of last season; Phillipe Coutinho, Sterling, Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson were everywhere. They looked as if the game plan was to choke United, such was the force of their pressing. And it was working. Marouane Fellaini looked suddenly out of his depth, and United were giving the ball away left and right. That didn't last long. In the 12th minute, Liverpool had the first chance of the game through a flowing move between Lallana and Sterling. Lallana slipped Sterling in, and he had a 1-on-1 with De Gea. However, he was at a tight angle and De Gea was United's savior for the first of many times today.
The Liverpool chance was also what created United's first chance and the opening goal. Immediately after the De Gea save, United brought the ball away and there was a break on. Mata brought the ball away, and found van Persie. He sprayed the ball wide, and it found the feet of Antonio Valencia. However, it felt as if that was where the attack would end. Lallana and Joe Allen seemed to have him boxed off on the sideline, but Valencia touched the ball between Allen's legs and he was away. He carried the ball on without facing a single challenge, and as he reached the touchline played a perfect cut-back pass to Wayne Rooney. The ball was perfect for the United captain, and he made no mistake from the top of the box as he just passed the ball into the bottom corner at the near post.
The next thirty odd minutes didn't feature too many chances, as United had the lion's share of the possession but failed to convert it into anything. That being said, Liverpool did have one chance worthy of note in the 23rd minute. It was again Lallana and Sterling driving them on, and the chance again fell to the young Englishman. Sterling had a chance from point-blank range after a great pass from Lallana, but he couldn't beat De Gea at the near post. The away side would be made to pay for their wasted chances, and that payment would come due in the 40th minute.
The home side had just been turning the screw, and the ball fell to Ashley Young's feet on the left wing. He danced and darted, and created enough space to whip in a cross. His ins-winging cross was flicked on by Robin van Persie and nodded home by Juan Mata, who was miles offside. The assistant referee's flag stayed down, and the Liverpool players didn't even protest. In real time, it looked as if van Persie hadn't gotten a touch on the ball, and Old Trafford rejoiced. However, replays showed that van Persie got the slightest of touches on the ball, and he was credited with the eventual assist.
Liverpool had a chance to pull one back before the break, but in the 42nd minute it was Sterling again who missed a glorious chance. This time it was Henderson playing creator, and he floated a perfect ball into the box and right onto the head of Sterling. He was unable to score yet again, as his cushioned header was directly into the hands of De Gea.
In the second half, Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers decided it was time for a radical throw of the dice. He threw on Mario Balotelli, and although it didn't come through the substitute, they came desperately close to a goal in the 47th minute. Yet another beautiful move from the visiting Reds culminated with Sterling floating a cross back across the six yard box that picked out the onrushing Henderson. He had a costless header from six yards out but blazed it over the bar and into row Z.
In the 51st minute, Sterling missed one of the easiest chances of his young career. Some dreadful interplay from United saw a backpass sent in the direction of De Gea, but it was woefully underhit. Instead of finding De Gea, it went straight to the feet of an onrushing Sterling. He was in completely alone on goal, and looked to round the keeper. He got around United's savior, but delayed the shot too long and De Gea was able to make a save at full stretch. It was the fourth chance of the match for the young lad, and the fourth time that De Gea had denied him.
Immediately following the save, it looked like a mirror image of United's opening goal. Mata led another break, and found the feet of Robin van Persie in an advanced position. He turned brilliantly, and slid in Rooney. Unfortunately for United, this chance was on his left foot instead of his right foot. Rooney had time and space to shoot, but it was a fairly weak effort and directly into the midsection of Liverpool's stand-in stopper Brad Jones.
In the 67th minute, Liverpool should have scored yet again. Sterling was in behind again, and he played a ball across goal and right to the feet of Balotelli. He hit a snapshot from point-blank range that was saved brilliantly by De Gea. The United keeper has quickly become one of the best not just in the Premier League but in the world, and there is no doubt why United are rumored to be about to make him the highest paid keeper in the world.
In the 72nd minute, it was yet another inch-perfect counter-attack from United to make it 3-0 and game over. Liverpool were forced to throw ever more numbers forward, and United made them pay for it. Mata carried the ball away after the visiting Reds were sloppy in possession, and he slid in Rooney. The United captain looked to square the ball for van Persie to finish, but Martin Skrtel managed to get the ball half-cleared. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the half-clearance fell right to Mata. He set himself up as if he was going to shoot and then dummied a little pass to van Persie who finished calmly into an empty net. It looked as if the Dutchman was miles offside, but replays showed that a lazy Dejan Lovren was playing him onside, and that defending epitomized the match.
In the 82nd minute, Balotelli had another great chance saved. Some terrific work from Henderson saw the ball fall to the Italian's feet just eight yards out, but his strike was kept out again by De Gea. It was an almost identical story in the 85th minute. Balotelli was played in behind, this time by substitute Lazar Markovic. He attempted to round the keeper, but the eventual strike was saved by none other than David De Gea.
In the 87th minute, van Persie nearly put the icing on the cake after some wonderful footwork. He touched the ball around and then over Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren before unleashing a snapshot right at Jones that the Australian keeper did well to tip over the bar.
As the match wound down to a conclusion, the decibel level inside the ground rose ever louder. And the name sung over and over was that of David De Gea. This afternoon, credit must be given to him, first and foremost. He was absolutely brilliant all day and was thoroughly deserving of the man of the match award. While this was not the most beautiful performance from United, no home supporter will be forgetting this performance any time soon. United have now won six on the bounce, and sit five points behind Manchester City in second and eight points behind Chelsea in first. Meanwhile, their great rivals languish in ninth, 10 behind United and 18 off the leaders.
| Manchester United (3) | Liverpool (0) | ||
 |  |  |  |
| De Gea | 10 | Jones | 5 |
| Valencia | 7 | Johnson | 4 |
| Evans | 7 | Lovren | 4 |
| Carrick | 8 | Skrtel | 5 |
| Jones | 7 | Gerrard | 5 |
| Young | 7 | Henderson | 6 |
| Fellaini | 6 | Allen | 6 |
| Mata | 8 | Moreno | 4 |
| Rooney | 8 | Coutinho | 6 |
| Wilson | 7 | Lallana | 4 |
| Van Persie | 8 | Sterling | 3 |
| Remplaçants | |||
| Herrera | 7 | Balotelli | 3 |
| Falcao | 6 | Toure | 5 |
| McNair | N/A | Markovic | 5 |