Gerrard sees red as wily Van Gaal wins battle of tactics with Rodgers at Anfield

THERE was a red card, a cloud of red mist and plenty of crimson faces, but it was ultimately one cool Dutch head that proved the difference in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool yesterday.

Not only did Louis van Gaal comfortably win the tactical battle with Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers, but the iron-willed United coach ensured his players kept their heads as Liverpool lost theirs.

The match will be remembered for Steven Gerrard’s, pictured, 38-second cameo that ended abruptly when he was sent off for a stamp on Ander Herrera, as well as Juan Mata’s match-winning double strike. Yet the plaudits belong equally with Van Gaal for out-thinking his Liverpool counterpart.

While all the pre-match debate centred on Rodgers’ 3-4-3 formation, a perceived cure-all that had healed Liverpool’s ills from the first half of the season, it was arch-pragmatist Van Gaal who threw all the tactical punches on the day.

The opening half at Anfield was arguably the visitors’ best of the campaign.

For all the gripes Van Gaal has had to face about how far short his United side have fallen from the club’s quasi-mythical traditions of expansive football, yesterday’s performance was not far short of perfect.

This was not the efficient but ugly earlyseason United, but a performance crafted from possession football, with Liverpool chasing shadows for extensive periods and Mata pouncing on openings to score with two expert finishes. – Reuters