Luis Suarez scored his goal, but didn’t shake hands with Patrice Evra prior to the match which worsened the already tense and aggressive atmosphere at Old Trafford, and more importantly, didn’t win. Wayne Rooney scored twice within three minutes and came out as the big winner in the Manchester United vs Liverpool encounter thanks to his cool head and awareness.

Alex Ferguson, the delightful human being he usually is, said that Suarez shouldn’t play for Liverpool again because of his disgusting behavior. Ferguson has a short memory, a tendency to be blind regarding his teammates and a bigger mouth, which unfortunately, seems to be something most managers, especially Roberto Mancini in recent months, look up to and try to emulate.

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In terms of football, proper football, we didn’t see much. United played with more enthusiasm, while Liverpool’s usual tactical and offensive problems stood out, with hardly any flow to their game joining them in their annual Old Trafford visit. Without enough coming from the players in terms of heart on such a day, the task of winning an Old Trafford fixture for the first time since 2009 seemed impossible.

Antonio Valencia, as usual, was United’s best man on the pitch. Rooney was industrious, never brilliant, but his quick reaction to Henderson missed header and Spearing’s turnover were the entire difference, putting Manchester United back, temporarily at least, at the top of the Premier League.

Evra did his bad karma of the day by celebrating in the face of Suarez, who looked like he wanted everything a bit too much. A cooler head in certain situations might have provided the Uruguayan striker with the revenge he yearned for, and in my opinion, deserved, after getting hard done by the English FA.