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| photo by Alan Light | via PhotoRee |
A rudderless Manchester United lost to arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield earlier today in a game in which the visitors never appeared to be truly engaged. Failing to score for a second consecutive game will leave the United manager and fans alike puzzled over the dry spell, but legitimate questions will be asked about David Moyes' squad selection for the contest. Starting 39 year old Ryan Giggs for a third game this season, and picking Ashley Young over other available options on the wing may have been bad enough, but failing to find even a spot on the bench for Shinji Kagawa will insure that Moyes has, in the immortal words of Desi Arnez, "some 'splaining to do." Herewith, our thoughts on another performance at Liverpool's home that just wasn't good enough:
De Gea: Little to do all afternoon bar Sturridge's opener 7.5
Jones: Nothing special either way, subbed off early after rolling his ankle. 6.0
Ferdinand: Spot on with his distribution, but was involved in mixup that led to Sturridge's goal. 7.0
Vidic: Like a rock at the back, dominated balls in the air 7.5
Evra: Had spring in his legs, showed decent commitment 7.0
Giggs: Not up to the task or the pace in starting against Liverpool. Decent touches but wasteful in possession. Still has gifts to offer, but Moyes needs to quickly figure out how to avoid overusing a legendary player 5.0
Carrick: A couple of uncharacteristic giveaways and a first half yellow insured that he won't remember the game fondly 6.0
Cleverley: Looked completely overmatched in the middle of the pitch and was consistently bothered by Liverpool's pressing. 5.0
Welbeck: Looked dangerous early on, but gradually faded in influence and was bedeviled by poor decision making. Never threatened late. 6.0
Young: Was caught in possession for the corner that led to opening goal, and generally frustrated fans and teammates alike. A truly baffling choice to start at Anfield 5.0
Van Persie: Frustration from lack of service boiled over near the end of the first half and resulted in a yellow card. Second straight game with no chances will begin to gnaw. 6.0
Substitutes:
Valencia (Jones): Never gelled with Giggs on the right, and was generally wasted in the back. 6.0
Nani (Young): Finally, someone who took a decent corner kick, Nani also offered up the best shot of the tepid afternoon 7.0
Hernandez (Giggs): Brought some much needed life to the attack, but should have been utilized earlier 7.0
This is farlieonfootie for September 1.
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