Thank you for being with us tonight at VAVEL UK for United's win over their rivals Liverpool. Goals From Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Christain Benteke and Martial made the second half much more exciting than the first half.
The first half was slow for both sides but both team came out in the second half and provided the kind of football that the fixture deserved. Louis Van Gall should be happy with his substitution that he made at half time as Ashley Young increased the momentum of the game. David De Gea had a shaky re-introduction to the Premier League and Daley Blind provided a world class performance.
After this result, Manchester United have climbed to second place on goal difference and Liverpool have dropped to ninth place.
MANCHESTER UNITED 3-1 LIVERPOOL: The first half was hard to watch but, the second half was tough to keep up with. It was truly a game of two halves.
FULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 3-1 LIVERPOOL (BLIND 49, HERRERA 70, MARTIAL 86) (BENTEKE 84))
91: Daley Blind is awarded Man of the Match.
88: Liverpool substitution: Lucas OFF, Moreno ON.
86: Goal! Manchester United 3-1 Liverpool (Martial). It had to be Martial! Young plays the ball down the line to the young french striker who produces a quizical run before slotting the ball into the back of the net to increase United's lead back up to two.
84: Goal! Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool (Benteke). Ibe showed his technique instantly after coming on crosses the ball to Benteke who scores a brilliant Overhead kick.
83: Jordan Ibe managees to control the ball on the right side of the United area, he ran along the edge with a defender in pursuit and pulled off a shot which was tough for De Gea to save.
79: Martial with his first inclusion of the game plays the ball into the centre towards Fellaini. The Belgian struck the ball towards goal but it was blocked and cleared.
76: A chance from Liverpool emerged in all of this chaos as Milner crosses the ball in from the right hand side but Benteke's header was off target.
75: Milner is the latest player to go into the referee's book as he cleans out Young.
74: Liverpool substitution: Ings OFF, Origi ON.
73: Good play from Ings as he chests down the ball behind Darmian. The Italian ends up fouling him and picking up a yellow card.
72: Manchester United substitution. Carrick OFF, Schneiderlin ON.
70: Manchester United 2-0 Liverpool (Herrera, Pen). Herrera steps up to take the penalty and slams it into the roof of the net. He gave Mignolet no chance.
69: PENALTY TO UNITED. Herrera whilst on an attacking run was taken out by Gomez as he slid in from behind.
67: Ashley young seems to have a problem as he looked like he rolled his ankle whilst running. The physio came onto the pitch and allowed him to carry on.
65: Liverpool Substitution: Firmino OFF, Ibe ON.
65: Manchester United substitution: Juan Mata OFF, Anthony Martial ON.
64: Liverpool take a corner and it is a dangerous one. Skrtel got a touch on it inside the box but Blind provides a brilliant block. It then fell to Firmino who couldn't get the shot away.
62: Young takes the free-kick from Mata but he fires the ball straight over the bar for a goal kick.
61: Fellaini wins a free-kick just outside the Liverpool box as the ball is played up the field but Lovren wasn't able to stop him without tripping him. The defender gets the first booking of the game.
57: De gea pulls offa great save as Ings controls the ball in the box but couldn't get the right contact on the ball. He still gets the shot off but De Gea saves the ball with a sublime stop.
56: Manchester United look in trouble now as De Gea messes up a pass from the back and invited pressure onto the home teams defence.
55: Liverpool have a rare attack as Ings plays a one-two pass along the edge of the box but he couldn't pass the United defence.
53: Young and Mata take the corner and they play it short. Herrera whips the ball into the box but Schweinsteiger wasn't able to control the ball and the chance went away.
52: Since the goal, United look more threatening. Mata looks for Herrera in the box but Skrtel clears the ball.
49: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool - Mata plays the ball back to the edge of the box where Blind was running. He hit the ball first time and flew right into the back of the net to give the Red Devils the lead.
48: Ashley Young shows his pace as his first touches with the ball knock the ball through the legs of Clyne and wins a free-kick just outside the box.
45: Manchester United kick off the second half.
45: Substitution: Memphis Depay OFF; Ashley Young ON.
HT: Manchester United 0-0 Liverpool. With the likes of Martial and Young at Van Gaal's disposal, who will be bring on the liven up this game?
HT: Manchester United 0-0 Liverpool. The first half has been lacklustre to say the least. Neither team has taken many shots and the game has been rather slow.
42: Emre can and Mignolet have a mix-up between them as both of them provide poor passes to each other. Schweinsteiger almost intercepted the ball back to the keeper but he wasn't able to. The ball almost ends up in the Liverpool net.
40: Good play from United as Shaw touches the ball down in the Liverpool box and passes it to Memphis. The winger crosses the ball in but Fellaini touches the ball with the wrong leg and it rolls away from the away sides goal.
35: Liverpool almost found their way through the United defnce but Can wasn't able to spot the pass quick enough. Can gave him the ball a second to late and Benteke ran past the final man. It was called offside.
34: Manchester United trying to play the ball to quickly and they keep losing the ball, either giving it away or passing out of play.
31: Skrtel produces a great clearance and finds Firmino on the right wing, he atttempts to pass the ball over the top towards Danny Ings but he is caught offside.
29: Mata swings a free-kick in from the right wing towards the head of Fellaini but Mignolet shows his dominance in the air and caught the ball.
27: Gomez sprays a brilliant ball toward the right wing and Roberto Firmino, he heads the ball down and towards Benteke but Blind read where he was going and cut out the ball before a shot was able to be taken.
23: The corner was taken but it didn't lead to anything as Liverpool were able to get it away.
22: United put Liverpool into more danger soon after they had possession. Lucas gave the ball away to Shaw and he found Memphis who wins United another corner.
21: Liverpool have had their first spell of possession in the game since the opening minutes but Milner loses out on the ball to Shaw. The left-back played the ball up towards Fellaini who was in an offside position.
18: Liverpool have finally had their first attack. Christian Benteke held the ball up on the edge of the United box and passed it back, it ended up going out for a throw. From the throw, Gomez crossed the ball into the box but it was hastily cleared. Clyne ended up having a shot outside the area but it travelled wide.
16: Just over a quarter of an hour into the game and Liverpool are yet to make a mark on the game. They are struggling to even get possession in the United half.
14: As United try to start an attack down the left hand side of the pitch, Liverpool put the ball out for a corner. The corner was hit back towards the halfway line and smacked straight into the box. Skrtel managed to head it clear.
8: Manchester United have already had a few half chances by Memphis Depay and Marouane Fellaini but, Mignolet must feel that he is at fault for this momentum shift.
7: Mignolet makes a mistake as he rolls the ball out and it is instantly intercepted. Juan Mata got in the way of the throw but wasn't able to capitalise on it.
6: The United crowd has sparked up as David De Gea gets his first touch of the ball. The Crowd couldn't help but chant his name.
4: United have started the game on the front foot as they try to start an attack but the defence of Liverpool keep blocking them off.
2: Manchester United have started to set the pace of game now with their possessive style of play.
0: The game has now kicked off. Manchester United playing in their typical red kit and Liverpool playing in full white.
Manchester United - Liverpool Live Commentary
Brendan Rodgers Pre-match Comments
Before the game, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was asked a few trivial questions about the game today. The first question was about the players that are missing from his lineup, he replied: "I've got great confidence in the players that are available. Of course, we havent had a great deal of time to work after the international break but, the players are ready and focused and I'm really looking forward to the performance today."
He was also questioned about starting Danny Ings. Rodgers said: "Both Danny [Ings] and Christian [Benteke] scored her last season so they come here with the confidence of knowing that they can get goals. Danny was always going to be a young player who was going to take time to adapt and settle into Liverpool but he has an eye for goal and he works hard."
The final question was about Manchester United's style of play and how Liverpool are going to attempt to disrupt that. Rodgers said: "When you are away from home, you have to ensure that you are very organised, as in defensive organisation. Obviously, we disappointed in that aspect in the last game against West Ham, which was poor. So we need to get back to working well, like we did away at Arsenal and away at Stoke where you are very difficult and very organised but when you have the ball, you know you are a threat. So that is the nature of the Premier league, you have to be able to defend well away from home but also have the confidence to play with no fear to go and get goals."
Score Update on Premier League:
FT: Everton 3-1 Chelsea (Naismith 17,22,82) (Matic 36)
FT: Arsenal 2-0 Stoke (Walcott 31; Giroud 85)
FT: Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City (Iheanacho 90)
FT: Norwich 3-1 Bournemouth (Jerome 35; Hoolahan 52; Jarvis 67) (Cook 81)
FT: Watford 1-0 Swansea (Ighalo 59)
FT: West Brom 0-0 Southampton
Today's Teams
Liverpool have had to find a replacement for their midfielder Philippe Coutinho as he is suspended for this game due to getting a straight red card in the West Ham game before the international break. Danny Ings is the man who will be playing in the Brazilian's right wing spot and he will be willing to impress whilst upfront next to Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino.
Manchester United have indeed caused a stir as David De Gea gets his first start for the club after signing a new contract lasting a further four years. Also, Wayne Rooney is nowhere to be seen in the lineup which would show that he has failed his late fitness test and has not recovered from his hamstring injury. Van Gaal has taken a risk with the player who he has placed upfront, Marouane Fellaini. He described him as a striker but not many fans agree with him. This could have been the debut for new signing, Anthony Martial.
Liverpool Team News
Team to play Manchester United: Mignolet; Clyne; Skrtel; Lovren; Gomez; Can; Lucas; Milner; Ings; Benteke; Firmino.
Subs: Bogdan; Sakho; Toure; Moreno; Rossiter; Ibe; Origi.
Manchester United Team News
Team to play Liverpool: De Gea; Darmian; Smalling; Blind; Shaw; Carrick; Schwiensteiger; Mata; Herrera; Depay; Fellaini.
Subs: Romero; McNair; Rojo; Schneiderlin; Valencia; Young; Martial.
TEAM NEWS:
Liverpool have a few of their most valuable midfielders out for the game tonight as Phillippe Coutinho was given a red card in the last game before the international break against West Ham. Jordan Henderson will not be playing in the game either due to a foot injury. Henderson has not played since their opening home game against Bournemouth where they won 1-0.
Manchester United have a few injuries with Michael Carrick, Phil Jones and Wayne Rooney unsure on whether they will play. Jones has ade it back into first-team training, according to multiple reports. Carrick sustained an injury whilst on duty for England and Wayne Rooney seems to have ppicked up a knock to his hamstring, but he is taking a late fitness test before the game.
Reporters also brought up the new signing of Anthony Martial. Van Gaal came back with: "There is a market and market value, we cannot control that. "I told Ed [Woodward], he is the best of his age and we need a striker in the future, so we wait a year and he is more expensive. The fans will be thinking 50million... He must score, no, he is 19 he has to adapt. It is difficult to adapt. It is difficult, look at [Angel] Di Maria he struggles at 27, [Radamel] Falcao at 29. Pressure is much higher at United. He has to adapt to our culture and our philosophy and maybe he can show signals of his quality this season."
The Dutchman was also quizzed on the training tactics and player relationships that have come to light in recent days by both Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney. He had this to say on the topic: "I think I have a superb relationship with my players. It is very positive they are coming to me, it means they trust you. It is a repeated story from last year. Our philosophy means we have to refresh the group. The whole dressing room has been changed. Can you imagine your friend leaving? [Wayne] Rooney and [Michael] Carrick came to me and said the dressing room was flat, we are telling you this because we want to help you. I am a communicator so I go to the dressing [room], then we discuss a lot of aspects, what I can't say here but not what you've written. ... I say things like I feel but also how it is. I can say only that I have a very good relationship with my players."
The United manager was also questioned on whether today would be the Spaniard's first start of the season against Liverpoool. The only answer that was given from Van Gaal was : "You have to wait and see, the process is the same."
In Louis Van Gaal's Pre-match comments, He addressed a few key topics that everbody wanted answers to. The first question was about the David De Gea saga with Real Madrid and whether he is happy that he signed his new contract with Manchester United. The Dutchman replied: "I believe a player has to want to play for a club. I'm very happy he has decided to stay. He was my best player last [year]. I never think, I have to make an analysis. I asked Ed [Woodward] if we sent the papers late, he said no. I was only thinking about De Gea having to suffer."
Ander Herrera told MUTV that he feels confident going into the Liverpool match. He said: "I am ready to play if the manager wants me to play against Liverpool," Herrera told MUTV in an exclusive interview. "I've trained very well and I keep improving my fitness. I like to give chances to the manager to put me in both [defensive and attacking] positions. Last season, I played most of the time as a no.8, more of a holding role, but, now, I have the chance to play as a no.10. Sometimes it is better to play as a no.6 or no.8 if the other team is waiting for you because you can have more touches. But if you play against teams like Liverpool, who want to beat us and want to attack, it’s maybe better to do it as a no.10. You never know in football but what I have to do is keep helping the team. If I can score, it’s very good for me and for the team also. If I cannot do it, I have to help assist, keep the ball and try to create chances. So I believe in myself and my qualities. I think I can do a good job in the no.10, no.8 or no.6 role." He finished off the interview by saying: "I think it’s good for us that we had the experience of last season when we beat them. I think we were much better than them in both games but they are Liverpool and they are a good team with very good players."
Here are the highlights from the Swansea - Manchester United game:
Manchester United didn’t perform much better two weeks ago as Swansea were able to beat them 2-1 at The Liberty Stadium. Manchester United started the game off strong as a few chances were created but nothing would go in the net for the Red Devils. After 48 minutes, the deadlock was broken by United as Ander Herrera passed the ball to Luke Shaw on the halfway line and a poor tackle by Swansea helped the young England International keep the ball. He ran into the left wing and managed to get a cross into the box, Juan Mata was waiting at the back of the six-yard box and he smashed the ball into the top of the net to make the game 1-0. The game turned on its head then as Swansea pressed United and even forced two goals out of it. The first came in the 61st minute and the second was just five minutes after that. New signing Andre Ayew scored Swansea’s first goal, Gylfi Siggurdson crossed the ball in from the right wing and Ayew seemed to head the ball into the ground and there was nothing that Sergio Romero could do. Bafetembi Gomis scored the second and he celebrated with his typical panther celebration. Ayew provided an exquisite ball from the right and Gomis slotted it in at the near post to give Swansea the lead, and the win.
Here are the highlights from the Liverpool - West Ham game:
Liverpool did not perform anywhere near their best in the their last Premier League game. The 3-0 loss was a shock to the system of Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool in general. The Hammers gained the lead just three minutes into the game as new signing Manuel Lanzini found some space inside the box and turned the ball past Simon Mignolet and into the back of the net. West Ham’s lead was doubled in the 29th minute as Mark Noble, who would later be sent off, provided a simple strike to make the game 2-0. The move was started because of poor defending by Dejan Lovren who would get dispossessed by Lanzini. He played the ball into the path of Diafra Sakho who missed it but, the ball ended up at Noble’s feet and he calmly placed in home. The game was finished off when Sakho ran at the Liverpool defence in the 92nd minute, the defenders just kept backing off and the striker slotted it home at Mignolet’s near post.
BIG NEWS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED: DAVID DE GEA HAS SIGNED A NEW DEAL KEEPING HIM AT THE CLUB FOR FOUR MORE YEARS. THE CONTRACT ALSO ALLOWS HIM TO SIGN FOR A FURTHER YEAR.
Seven Premier League games are scheduled to play today and United - Liverpool will feature last. The other Fixtures include Everton - Chelsea, Arsenal - Stoke and Crystal Palace - Manchester City.
This Manchester United - Liverpool live is the first game back after an international break. Whilst on leave to play for England, Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick sustained an injury, which makes him unlikely to play in this fixture. Both teams had were unable to win there fixtures before the break as United lost 2-1 to Swansea away from home and Liverpool lost 3-0 to West Ham at home.
Hello and welcome to VAVEL UK’s live minute-by-minute commentary and coverage of the end of day fixture on Saturday night between Manchester United - Liverpool live. Today’s game kicks off at 17:30 in the UK but there’s plenty to discuss before then. Keep following for football live from VAVEL UK.