A moment of madness from Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and a two-goal burst from Juan Mata made it a Sunday to savor for Manchester United and as United’s return to the UEFA Champions League moved a step closer, Chelsea maintained their pursuit of the English Premier League title with a slender win at Hull City.
United were already leading at Anfield when Gerrard produced a red-card stamp only 38 seconds after coming off the bench at the start of the second half, but even with a man advantage, United were made to fight for their 2-1 victory.
Juan Mata added to his first-half goal with a superb volley, before Liverpool threatened a comeback after striker Daniel Sturridge scored, but United held on to pull five points clear of Liverpool to consolidate their grip on the fourth and final Champions League qualification place, prompting a swift apology from Gerrard.
Photo: Reuters
“I have let my teammates and manager down today,” Gerrard said of his stamp on Ander Herrera. “Even more importantly, I let all the supporters down.”
Last season those fans were dreaming of the title before Liverpool finished runners-up, but now it is a fight for fourth place.
At the top, Chelsea remain six points ahead of Manchester City with a game in hand after edging Hull City 3-2.
After Eden Hazard and Diego Costa scored in the opening nine minutes for Chelsea, Hull scored twice in 74 seconds to draw level, but Loic Remy grabbed a second-half winner shortly after coming off the bench.
“We played fantastic football until the 2-0, obviously we lost a bit of quality after their two goals,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said.
Hull stayed three points above the relegation zone, but Queens Park Rangers moved closer to the drop with a 2-1 loss to Everton after Aaron Lennon’s winner.
Heading into the international break, Manchester United will now be looking upward in their season of recovery under Louis van Gaal, with City only two points ahead in second place and a Manchester derby to come on April 12 at Old Trafford.
United took 14 minutes to stun the home crowd at Anfield.
Herrera threaded a pass between Liverpool defenders Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho for Mata to run onto and clip a shot past Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made a decisive change at halftime, taking Adam Lallana off in favor of the experience provided by 34-year-old Gerrard, but Gerrard’s temperament boiled over and the midfielder now faces a three-game ban for his stamp on Herrera.
“I tried to jump [Herrera’s] tackle, I saw his studs and I reacted wrong,” Gerrard said.
Mata’s second finish was exquisite, acrobatically volleying into the net in the 59th minute after meeting a reverse-pass from substitute Angel di Maria, but Sturridge beat United goalkeeper David de Gea at his near post 10 minutes later to ensure a nervy finish.
“The second half we were not so good and that is amazing a little bit because we played 11 against 10 and it should be easier, but it was not,” Van Gaal said.
It was a storming start for Chelsea in the northeast.
Captain John Terry and Costa combined to set up Hazard’s opener after 78 seconds, and Chelsea’s lead was extended in the ninth minute. Cesc Fabregas sent the ball from the halfway line to Costa on the left wing and the Spaniard cut through the defense, before curling his shot past goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
Chelsea were cruising until the 26th minute when Andrew Robertson burst past Willian and Branislav Ivanovic, before crossing low for Hull winger Ahmed Elmohamady to slot into the net.
Chelsea’s defense was in disarray and quickly conceded again. Ivanovic casually passed the ball back to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, whose slack clearance went straight to Abel Hernandez and the ball was immediately stabbed into the net.
However, Remy scored Chelsea’s winner in the 77th minute, only two minutes after replacing the injured Costa, with his shot squirming through McGregor’s hands.
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