Manchester United. Liverpool. Not much else needs to be said in talking about one of the most storied rivalries in all of world football, and the city of Miami played host to the latest edition of this clash of titans, both vying for the International Champions Cup. Though this was “just” a preseason match, this matchup is a classic example of the cliche “There’s no such thing as a friendly between these two,” and so the stage was set for what promised to be an intriguing final for the tournament.
United had the first look at goal as early as the 5th minute, as Darren Fletcher freed Ashley Young on the left wing. The cross in to Javier Hernandez, named starter tonight in place of the injured Danny Welbeck, was just a step behind him right in front of the Liverpool goal, and the ball was cleared.
Liverpool responded with their own opportunity in the 9th minute, but Jordan Henderson was unable to keep his header down off Steven Gerrard’s chipped freekick, and the ball sailed harmlessly over the bar. Not long after that, however, Liverpool did make the breakthrough. Raheem Sterling was tripped up by a clumsy challenge from Phil Jones, and referee Mark Geiger did not hesitate to point at the spot. Gerrard sent David de Gea the wrong way, and Liverpool had the early lead.
Playing with their diamond midfield shape, Liverpool seemed happy to allow United to have plenty of possession deep in their half, especially down the wings, where both Luke Shaw and Young found space numerous times. Unfortunately for United, Liverpool were also keeping numbers in the middle, which made passing lanes tight. As a result, United were not able to create too many opportunities other than a handful of shots from outside the box that were either harmless or dealt with easily by Liverpool’s defenders.
Raheem Sterling was impressive for Liverpool in the first half, and both his pace and trickery were a constant thorn in United’s side. To his credit, Chris Smalling was equal to the task for United, and he put in several perfectly-timed challenges (quite unlike Jones’ earlier) to deny Sterling and Liverpool from gaining a further advantage. Truthfully, other than the penalty, Liverpool did not do much more than United to create chances, and the first half ended with Liverpool maintaining the 1-0 lead.
This was Manchester United’s 4th game in 9 days, and while Liverpool had played the same number of games in just 8 days, the higher pace and intensity of United’s matches seemed to be catching up with them, as they did not look as fluid on Monday as they had in their previous matches of the tournament.
In contrast with those matches, United did not ring up mass changes at the half, a typical strategy by most teams in the preseason as their players inch closer and closer to full match fitness. What did change for United was their effectiveness, and within 10 minutes of the restart, they leveled the score courtesy of a Wayne Rooney volley at the far post after a pinpoint Hernandez cross from the right.
Within minutes, the game truly turned on its head when Juan Mata took a short pass outside the box and fired home a slightly-deflected shot that wrongfooted Simon Mignolet in the Liverpool goal.
Confusion reigned briefly shortly after the hour’s mark, as Rooney tapped home Young’s hopeful lob that had Mignolet beaten but appeared to come back off the crossbar. The goal was initially awarded to United, but after Geiger discussed matters with his linesman, the goal-kick was correctly given instead. Replays clearly showed the ball had hit the stanchion behind the crossbar and somehow bounced back into play.
The remainder of the game played out at scrimmage intensity, though Liverpool did still attempt to probe for an equalizer. Substitute Jesse Lingard, one of several United youngsters who have impressed on this tour, put the result beyond doubt when he drove home their 3rd goal to cap off a textbook counter.
The results for Louis van Gaal in his first tests as manager of Manchester United have been impressive, with wins over the LA Galaxy, Roma, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Liverpool en route to hoisting the International Champions Cup. Among the anticipated starters, Rooney (named ICC Player of the Tournament), Mata, Young, Fletcher, and new signing Ander Herrera were especially impressive, while youngsters Lingard, Reece James, Michael Keane, and Tyler Blackett showed several glimpses of high potential.
For their part, Liverpool showed they still have some work to do to adjust to life without Luis Suarez, but manager Brendan Rogers has a healthy mix of veterans and youth in his squad, which should help them contend for the Premiership. Sterling is an exciting talent, and his ability and pace will be key to Liverpool’s prospects.
The tournament as a whole provided some lively play for fans, with more than 600,000 showing up for the matches. Full credit should be given to the organizers for not shying away from the challenge of inviting major European teams to play out an exhibition tournament in America, and beyond the achievements of Major League Soccer teams and the US national team, showcases like these are testament to the continuous growth of the sport in this country.
(Featured image: Getty/Manchester United/Chris Trotman)
(Video: arenavision.in/Zidanekrisz)
