Clinical Manchester United increased the pressure on Liverpool
manager Brendan Rodgers as they capitalised on some poor defending to
run out comfortable victors at Old Trafford.
Rodgers - who dropped struggling goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for Brad Jones - can point to a succession of brilliant saves from United's David De Gea and a controversial second goal from Juan Mata as significant factors in defeat.
This, however, will do little to ease the growing concerns for Rodgers and Liverpool, with the memory of their thrilling 3-0 win here in March - in a sequence that almost took them to their first title in 24 years - seeming an age away.
United captain Wayne Rooney gave them an early lead and Liverpool had every right to feel aggrieved when Mata headed in from a clearly offside position to take the game away from them just before half-time.
Robin van Persie's third for United at the end of a lightning counter-attack only added to Liverpool's pain and gave the scoreline a lopsided look given the amount of work done by De Gea.
United's sixth successive league win continued United's resurgence under manager Louis van Gaal and put Liverpool's decline since they came so close to winning the Premier League into even sharper relief. Liverpool now trail third-placed United by 10 points.
Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, intend to give Rodgers until the end of the season at least to turn matters around given the credit he still has after last season, but after a miserable Champions League campaign was confirmed by their exit at the group stage following the midweek draw with Basel, these are crucial days for the northern Irishman.
He now faces a huge seven days with a Capital One Cup quarter-final at Championship leaders Bournemouth on Wednesday before Arsenal visit Anfield next weekend.
The reshuffled team sent out at Old Trafford by Rodgers gave Liverpool and their manager cause for optimism in an energetic early spell but the momentum shifted crucially in the 13th minute as De Gea saved from Sterling at one end and Rooney scored at the other.
In the space of 25 seconds, Liverpool should have taken the lead but then found themselves behind as Antonio Valencia nutmegged Joe Allen and pulled the ball back for Rooney, who scored with Jones diving in the wrong direction.
De Gea thwarted Sterling - utilised as a lone striker - once more before United doubled their lead in controversial fashion five minutes before half-time.
Mata was clearly offside when he headed in after Van Persie got a slight touch to Ashley Young's cross. There was daylight between Mata and the last Liverpool defender, so it can only be assumed linesman Mike Mullarkey did not believe Van Persie got a touch.
It was a demoralising blow for Liverpool who, having had to replace Glen Johnson with Kolo Toure in the first half after he suffered a groin injury, replaced Adam Lallana with Balotelli at the restart.
Whereas United had taken the chances that had come their way, Liverpool had wasted every opportunity, as Sterling did once more early in the second half.
Michael Carrick, who had been immaculate, inexplicably allowed Jonny Evans' pass to roll straight to Sterling, who hesitated, even when he seemed to have rounded De Gea, allowing the goalkeeper to get back and save.
De Gea's development into a world-class goalkeeper has been confirmed by a series of stellar performances this season and he showed his quality and reflexes again to turn Balotelli's close-range shot on to the bar.
The difference between the sides was illustrated once more as Van Persie wrapped up United's win. Dejan Lovren scooped Rooney's pass hopelessly into the path of Mata, who found Van Persie to score, with Jones once again on the wrong foot.
It’s
official. The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of
Lagos have been declared the best football playing church in the world.
The Nigeria representatives achieved this feat after defeating the United Church of Colombia 7-0 in the final of the maiden edition of The Church World Cup on sunday afternoon in Goa, India. MFM FC which plays in the Nigeria National Division One League dominated the encounter from the outset in what would turn out to be a miss match.
It was just a matter of time for top striker, Adekunle Adegboyega to open the flood gate of goals. Midfielder Sheriff Alashe made it 2-0 while two more goals came off the boots of Nelson Kenedinum and Adegboyega to give his team a 4-0 lead after 45minutes.
Adegboyega continued from where he stopped in the first half to complete his hat trick, elastic winger, Sikiru Olatunbosun found the back of the net twice while midfielder Nelson Kenedinum completed the rout. MFM FC ended the competition without conceding a goal and scored a whopping twenty goals in five games.
Meanwhile, It was a clean sweep for MFM FC as striker, Adegboyega won the top scorer award with eight goals and diminutive midfielder, Onuwa Emmanuel was voted the Most Valuable Player of the competition.
MFM FC’s road to making history at the Church World Cup in India started with a 3-0 win over Colombia, next to fall was Egypt who lost 2-0 while Uzbekistan were hammered 7-0 and the host, India conceded a goal in the semi final which catapulted the Olukoya Boys to the final of the competition. The participating teams were host India, Colombia, Egypt, Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Uzbekistan and Portugal.
An elated MFM General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya was full of praise for the boys and has promised a befitting welcome for them on return to Nigeria this Tuesday.
“Wow! This is wonderful”, exclaimed the sport loving clergy.
“The boys have made Nigeria and Africa very proud. I’m really happy that this feat was achieved by footballers who are ambassadors from MFM, they’ve made us proud in far away India.
“As a church, we will appreciate them,” concluded the first class microbiologist turned preacher of the gospel
The Nigeria representatives achieved this feat after defeating the United Church of Colombia 7-0 in the final of the maiden edition of The Church World Cup on sunday afternoon in Goa, India. MFM FC which plays in the Nigeria National Division One League dominated the encounter from the outset in what would turn out to be a miss match.
It was just a matter of time for top striker, Adekunle Adegboyega to open the flood gate of goals. Midfielder Sheriff Alashe made it 2-0 while two more goals came off the boots of Nelson Kenedinum and Adegboyega to give his team a 4-0 lead after 45minutes.
Adegboyega continued from where he stopped in the first half to complete his hat trick, elastic winger, Sikiru Olatunbosun found the back of the net twice while midfielder Nelson Kenedinum completed the rout. MFM FC ended the competition without conceding a goal and scored a whopping twenty goals in five games.
Meanwhile, It was a clean sweep for MFM FC as striker, Adegboyega won the top scorer award with eight goals and diminutive midfielder, Onuwa Emmanuel was voted the Most Valuable Player of the competition.
MFM FC’s road to making history at the Church World Cup in India started with a 3-0 win over Colombia, next to fall was Egypt who lost 2-0 while Uzbekistan were hammered 7-0 and the host, India conceded a goal in the semi final which catapulted the Olukoya Boys to the final of the competition. The participating teams were host India, Colombia, Egypt, Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Uzbekistan and Portugal.
An elated MFM General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya was full of praise for the boys and has promised a befitting welcome for them on return to Nigeria this Tuesday.
“Wow! This is wonderful”, exclaimed the sport loving clergy.
“The boys have made Nigeria and Africa very proud. I’m really happy that this feat was achieved by footballers who are ambassadors from MFM, they’ve made us proud in far away India.
“As a church, we will appreciate them,” concluded the first class microbiologist turned preacher of the gospel
It’s
official. The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of
Lagos have been declared the best football playing church in the world.
The Nigeria representatives achieved this feat after defeating the United Church of Colombia 7-0 in the final of the maiden edition of The Church World Cup on sunday afternoon in Goa, India. MFM FC which plays in the Nigeria National Division One League dominated the encounter from the outset in what would turn out to be a miss match.
It was just a matter of time for top striker, Adekunle Adegboyega to open the flood gate of goals. Midfielder Sheriff Alashe made it 2-0 while two more goals came off the boots of Nelson Kenedinum and Adegboyega to give his team a 4-0 lead after 45minutes.
Adegboyega continued from where he stopped in the first half to complete his hat trick, elastic winger, Sikiru Olatunbosun found the back of the net twice while midfielder Nelson Kenedinum completed the rout. MFM FC ended the competition without conceding a goal and scored a whopping twenty goals in five games.
Meanwhile, It was a clean sweep for MFM FC as striker, Adegboyega won the top scorer award with eight goals and diminutive midfielder, Onuwa Emmanuel was voted the Most Valuable Player of the competition.
MFM FC’s road to making history at the Church World Cup in India started with a 3-0 win over Colombia, next to fall was Egypt who lost 2-0 while Uzbekistan were hammered 7-0 and the host, India conceded a goal in the semi final which catapulted the Olukoya Boys to the final of the competition. The participating teams were host India, Colombia, Egypt, Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Uzbekistan and Portugal.
An elated MFM General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya was full of praise for the boys and has promised a befitting welcome for them on return to Nigeria this Tuesday.
“Wow! This is wonderful”, exclaimed the sport loving clergy.
“The boys have made Nigeria and Africa very proud. I’m really happy that this feat was achieved by footballers who are ambassadors from MFM, they’ve made us proud in far away India.
“As a church, we will appreciate them,” concluded the first class microbiologist turned preacher of the gospel
The Nigeria representatives achieved this feat after defeating the United Church of Colombia 7-0 in the final of the maiden edition of The Church World Cup on sunday afternoon in Goa, India. MFM FC which plays in the Nigeria National Division One League dominated the encounter from the outset in what would turn out to be a miss match.
It was just a matter of time for top striker, Adekunle Adegboyega to open the flood gate of goals. Midfielder Sheriff Alashe made it 2-0 while two more goals came off the boots of Nelson Kenedinum and Adegboyega to give his team a 4-0 lead after 45minutes.
Adegboyega continued from where he stopped in the first half to complete his hat trick, elastic winger, Sikiru Olatunbosun found the back of the net twice while midfielder Nelson Kenedinum completed the rout. MFM FC ended the competition without conceding a goal and scored a whopping twenty goals in five games.
Meanwhile, It was a clean sweep for MFM FC as striker, Adegboyega won the top scorer award with eight goals and diminutive midfielder, Onuwa Emmanuel was voted the Most Valuable Player of the competition.
MFM FC’s road to making history at the Church World Cup in India started with a 3-0 win over Colombia, next to fall was Egypt who lost 2-0 while Uzbekistan were hammered 7-0 and the host, India conceded a goal in the semi final which catapulted the Olukoya Boys to the final of the competition. The participating teams were host India, Colombia, Egypt, Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Uzbekistan and Portugal.
An elated MFM General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya was full of praise for the boys and has promised a befitting welcome for them on return to Nigeria this Tuesday.
“Wow! This is wonderful”, exclaimed the sport loving clergy.
“The boys have made Nigeria and Africa very proud. I’m really happy that this feat was achieved by footballers who are ambassadors from MFM, they’ve made us proud in far away India.
“As a church, we will appreciate them,” concluded the first class microbiologist turned preacher of the gospel
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