Defensively, I think this is the worst performance after the 4-3 result against Hull City
Credits to LIV, they are definitely the deserved winner on the night but for them to do a double on us, its hard to swallow. Just like what Man City did to us last season.
But like what SAF, the team must now respond to the latest defeat:
Boss demands a responseQUOTE
Sir Alex Ferguson rued defensive errors against Liverpool, but refused to castigate Nemanja Vidic and says his side will now do one thing: respond.
United have become accustomed to having things their own way at Old Trafford this season, so defeat – and 4-1 to our fiercest rivals – sticks in the throat. “It’s difficult to defend a 4-1 defeat. We got in front and then threw the game away. It’s a hard one to take,” admitted the boss. “But at this club it’s always about how you respond. When you lose a game: respond. And that is what we will do.”
Vidic made an error for Liverpool’s first goal, and his second-half sending off for a foul on Steven Gerrard led to their third goal on the way to an embarrassing scoreline. But Sir Alex didn't stick the boot in. “Nemanja has been unbelievably consistent for us this season. Players do have off days, and he’s made a mistake. He’s a human being, all players make mistakes. It’s just a costly one for us.”
The United boss didn’t have any complaints about the Serbian’s sending off. “It looked as if he [Gerrard] was clear to have a shot at goal. Whether Rio could have got across, I don’t know. I couldn't really argue with the decision. We’d have been looking for a red card if it was against us.
“It was one of those days, we made uncharacteristic mistakes. In big games you don’t want to do that. If you see the consistency of our defending over the last two years, you don’t expect it. If you win 4-1 at Old Trafford you deserve the plaudits, you can’t deny Liverpool that.
“But if the league was starting today, you’d take a four-point advantage with a game in hand. The goal difference is narrowed, it’s only five goals now. It was a bad day, but we have to kick on."
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=...&newsid=6628932Park: Forget and move onQUOTE
Ji-sung Park says the Reds must forget the 4-1 defeat and remember that the league title is still in United's hands.
Park was one of United's best players during the defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford. While he was disappointed with the result, Park and team-mates will only be looking forward.
"Obivously it's not a good result for us," he told ManUtd.kr. "But the league is not over and we're still top.
"If we produce good performances, like we have been doing, for the rest of our league games then this defeat will not be a big problem."
United now have a week to prepare before the next Premier League match away to Fulham on Saturday. It's a time for reflection, but not too much reflection.
“We don’t have a match until next weekend, so it’s good that we can take some rest and get ready to play Fulham," Ji added. "We must forget about this result, because next weekend I am sure we will be back with a good performance.
“We have about ten league matches left, so from now on it is really important that we win our games, and to win the title, we have to play well."
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=...&newsid=6628997Rio rues 'critical' momentQUOTE
For Rio Ferdinand, the disappointing defeat to Liverpool had an obvious game-breaking moment.
With 15 minutes left and United piling on the pressure at 2-1 down, Nemanja Vidic was shown a straight red for bringing down Steven Gerrard, and Fabio Aurelio curled home the killer third goal from the resultant free-kick.
"It was a nervy start from both teams but we took the lead and started to get a foot in the game," Ferdinand told MUTV. "Even when they were 2-1 up, we started to turn the screw in the second half and Carlos Tevez had a half-chance.
"But the sending-off and third goal came at a really critical time. I thought the referee's decision to send Vida off was debatable as I could have got over there to cover."
Another possible turning point came in the first half, when United were leading through Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty, as Vidic's mistake allowed Fernando Torres to pounce.
But Ferdinand refused to castigate his fellow centre-back, saying: "Vida has been one of our most consistent players this season and everyone is allowed to make a mistake, so we won’t be getting on his back."
Ferdinand even managed to take a postive from what was a distinctly bad day at the office, adding: "Losing any game is disappointing, losing to your big rivals is even worse and the scoreline compounds that.
"But we have to turn this into a positive. This game will have torn out any sub-conscious complacency there may have been. We got a rude awakening today that if we don’t go out and work hard as a collective unit then we won’t get the results.
"We now have time to dust ourselves down and get our minds on the game against Fulham next week. It would have been nice if that game was right round the corner but we have to deal with what’s in front of us."
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