Four Reactions From United's Loss To Liverpool

Manchester United were severely punished for not being more clinical in their 2-1 loss to their most-hated rival, Liverpool, as they exited another cup competition prematurely.

Selections

Sir Alex wasted a good chance to win the game

Yes, Sir Alex Ferguson had to select a make-shift line-up because of all of the injuries that have been ravaging the club all season, but the selection was questionable. Away from home, the manager rarely goes with his preferred 4-4-2, and it might have cost United a chance of a good run in the FA Cup. Dimitar Berbatov, who has only played 56 minutes since he scored six goals in three games, was thrown on in a desperation attempt after Liverpool scored the eventual game winner. Yes, Ji-Sung Park scored the goal but, besides that, he offered absolutely nothing to the game and should have been replaced to start the second half. The momentum was certainly with United, so why not build on it and go for broke? Well, Ferguson didn't and United have prematurely exited another competition.

Chances wasted
With a five-man midfield, chances were always be at premium, so when you had one - it needed to be dispatched in the back of the net. United didn't do that. The blame for this will ultimately fall on Danny Welbeck, who was deployed as the only striker, but he never had a consistent level of supply into him. To be fair on him, he's not your typical center forward who holds up the play and gets his teammates involved - Berbatov is. Valencia has been our most creative player over the last two months, but he was never given the opportunity to shine as his teammates decided to play down the left for much of the second half.

Contrasting halves
The saying, "Tale of two halves," never rang so true as it did in this game. The first half, even though they conceded the first goal, United were by and far the best team on the pitch. The possession was very good, as Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick were dynamite at keeping the ball. The Reds started to lose the battle for possession, so what did Ferguson, who had only one midfield option available do? He replaced the former with Javier Hernandez - which made it extremely difficult and put United up against it.

Defensive miscues
A lot of fingers have pointed in the direction of David de Gea for a couple of mistakes, but he shouldn't be blamed for either of the goals. Yes, the ball for the first goal eventually bounced off his head and in, but the marking by the defenders in front of him was nonexistent. The 21-year old goalkeeper was not at his best and clearly low on confidence, which was the reason for some of his dropped crosses and questionable clearances. The second goal, however, had everything to do with Patrice Evra not sticking to his marker, as Kuyt stole in behind him and scored the winner.