Anfield first leg ends with Liverpool beating United 2-0

The Redmen took full control and played at full throttle throughout their Europa League last-16 tie against the Red Devils on Thursday night, producing a self-assured 2-0 first-leg victory at Anfield.

Both teams made changes to the line-ups from their previous games. For the Redmen, the most notable were the resurgent Sturridge and the magician Philippe Coutinho. Both returned, along with Nathaniel Clyne, to inject fresh energy into the effort to end United’s run of four straight wins over Liverpool.

For the Red Devils, Varela, Schneiderlin, Fellaini and Depay came in for Darmian, Carrick, Herrera and the suspended Lingard. The four changes were meant to stretch that winning run to five, because, as Louis van Gaal put it, beating teams like Liverpool earned him greater appreciation from the fans.

At first van Gaal seemed to have got it right when young Marcus Rashford kneed Depay’s cross wide in the opening seconds. The chance came from an Alberto Moreno error, as he misjudged the flight of the ball.

After that early scare Liverpool reacted well, playing their natural passing and pressing game. They worked their way into numerous attacking positions, which brought the thousands of Kopites inside Anfield to their feet for an awe-inspiring rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. That spurred the team to attack even more, something that had not been seen at Anfield for some time.

Despite this positive reaction from the Redmen, the Devils looked as though they might find a way back into the game, until a contentious 20th-minute foul by Memphis Depay on Nathaniel Clyne was spotted by referee Carlos Velasco Carballo and his assistant. Daniel Sturridge converted the penalty as expected, sending the ball into the bottom left corner although De Gea nearly saved it.

The goal might have settled the direction of the game, but David De Gea had other ideas. Over the next twenty minutes up to half-time he pulled off a number of top-class saves, denying attempts from Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson.

Roberto Firmino finally doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 73rd minute. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and it handed the Merseysiders the chance to travel to the so-called “Theatre of Dreams” with a mouth-watering two-goal lead.

This was a historic first European meeting between two of Europe’s most decorated clubs, and the tie was still far from over. A 2-0 lead might seem to have extinguished United’s hopes of winning the last-16 tie over two legs, and that would be only half right. The Devils needed at least three goals at Old Trafford, which was not impossible, but it would take something special from every United player.

The answer would come on Thursday at 8pm GMT, when Manchester United would try to turn the tie around.

The second leg at Old Trafford

The return match was played at Old Trafford on 17 March 2016, with kick-off moved to 21:05 at the request of the local council. United needed an early goal and got one in the 32nd minute, when Anthony Martial scored from the penalty spot. The comeback stalled just before half-time, though: Philippe Coutinho equalised in the 45th minute, and the away goal left United with a mountain to climb. The match finished 1-1 in front of 75,180 spectators, and Liverpool went through 3-1 on aggregate.

The road to Basel

The quarter-final draw sent Jurgen Klopp back to Borussia Dortmund, the club he had led to two Bundesliga titles. After a 1-1 draw in Germany on 7 April 2016, the second leg at Anfield a week later produced a remarkable comeback. Dortmund led 3-1 through Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Reus, but goals from Divock Origi, Coutinho and Mamadou Sakho brought Liverpool level, and Dejan Lovren scored the winner in stoppage time for a 4-3 win and a 5-4 aggregate victory. Villarreal were beaten 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

The run ended in the final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel on 18 May 2016, where Sevilla beat Liverpool 3-1 after Sturridge had given the Reds the lead.