As this past midweek showed, it is one of the worst ever years for English football in European competition. They will not be represented in either the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals or the UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals. However, on Sunday, Manchester United took on Liverpool and showed the world why the Barclays Premier League remains the most exciting league in the world to watch.
United are not playing in Europe this season, and Liverpool went out in the Europa League Round of 32 after failing to advance from the Champions League Group Stage. Yet, they remain England's most decorated club sides and their rivalry is the best in the country. The whole world got a reminder of that at Anfield.
Whenever these two meet, it seems inevitable that it will be a thrilling clash filled with flash points and talking points aplenty. From Ron Atkinson claiming to be entering a war zone to Eric Cantona scoring in the 1996 FA Cup Final to Liverpool winning 4-1 at Old Trafford in 2009, there have been no shortage of classic moments and classic encounters. We now have one more to add to the pantheon.
United's 2-1 victory on Sunday will be remembered for a number of things: Juan Mata's sterling performance to pick up a brace, Wayne Rooney fluffing his lines with a chance to end his Anfield curse, and one of the best atmospheres this match-up has seen in recent times. However, one moment will be remembered above all others.
Of course, I am speaking of Steven Gerrard's red card. As he was introduced, the United fans massed in the away end broke into a rendition of their favourite Gerrard ditty, which refers to his infamous slip last season which all but cost the Reds the title. However, they began to sing a new song about a minute later.
Gerrard lasted just 41 seconds on the pitch before petulantly stomping on Ander Herrera, and his red card triggered rage amongst the home support and glee among the travellers. For so long, Gerrard has been United's arch-nemesis. Just last season he scored twice in Liverpool's 3-0 victory at Old Trafford. However, he will forever be remembered for this, his last involvement ever in a Liverpool-United clash.
The stomp would undoubtedly have been remembered had it occurred six or seven years ago. Yet, it will now be forever ingrained in the collective psyche of this fixture. Gerrard, the man currently in the squad who most embodies the Liverpool spirit, has confirmed that he is off to LA Galaxy in the off-season. He has been out injured recently and hasn't looked good enough to justify himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. He correctly didn't start, and then messed up, as the visiting fans so gleefully sang about for the entirety of the second half.
However, we must be careful that the incident does not cloud our memory of what transpired over the other 89 minutes. United dominated the first half, and continued on the great work they did last weekend against Tottenham Hotspur. Juan Mata scored a wonderfully crafted goal, and United looked in complete control.
However, after about 35 minutes Liverpool began to come alive, and play as they are truly capable of playing. They had a couple of periods of sustained pressure, and looked as if they might fashion a goal before the break. It seemed as if they would come out of the break and pile the pressure on. Gerrard's sending off ended that.
United controlled even more of the game than they had before, and when Juan Mata made it 2-0 it seemed as if the jig was up. Liverpool looked beaten, and it seemed as if United were in for a huge win. Then, they squandered a fantastic chance to make it 3-0 when Angel Di Maria somehow couldn't find a wide open Rooney in the box when they had a 2-on-1 break. Moments later, Daniel Sturridge reignited the game.
It was never going to be straightforward for United, and even down a man Liverpool fought back. After Sturridge scored, Liverpool threw everything but the kitchen sink at David De Gea and there were periods were it seemed certain that they would score.
Yes, the Premier League may not have the best teams in the world but as long as it continues to produce games like this, the world will continue to watch. It had one last moment of drama in stoppage time, when Rooney had a chance to end his Anfield curse from the penalty spot and couldn't make it count. His poor penalty was easily saved by Simon Mignolet, and by the time the match came to an end there was no one left in the crowd who could take any more drama. It was a classic encounter, and one which will not be soon forgotten.