Liverpool well beaten, Man Utd storm back.

Kenwyne Jones' strike seals the points.

Liverpool lacked inspiration and guile as they were bettered in all departments by Stoke City, who claimed a hugely deserved 2-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium.

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The Reds had experienced a mini-revival under Roy Hodgson in recent weeks, going six games unbeaten in all competitions, but after a fortunate draw at Wigan their luck ran out at Stoke. Tony Pulis’ men were first to every ball from the opening whistle, and they got their reward through second-half strikes from Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones, before Lucas Leiva was sent off late on.

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United blame City tactics for boring derby

 

Chances were few and far between in the 157th Manchester derby

Sir Alex Ferguson pointed the finger at Roberto Mancini‘s tactics as the reason behind one of the duller Manchester derbies in recent times but the Italian has defended his right to play for a point, adding that his players were fatigued.

Neither goalkeeper had much to do throughout the 0-0 draw at Eastlands on Wednesday night, although Manchester United arguably showed more ambition than their rivals, dominating possession and field position in the second half despite a lack of chances.

If substitutions can be used as a barometer for a manager’s strategy, Mancini’s decision to save striker Emmanuel Adebayor as a time-wasting change in the 94th minute hints at a man happy to settle for a point. Ferguson was handicapped in that facet due to injuries to his fullbacks Rafael and Patrice Evra.