Player Ratings: Manchester United 1- 4 Liverpool

Manchester United

Van der Sar 5.5 – His net took a beating, but to be honest his defenders didn’t do him any favours. Perhaps now that the clean sheet record has gone, the floodgates have opened. The veteran could have perhaps made some attempt to save Aurelio’s free-kick – the third goal.

O’Shea 6.5 – Was perhaps the least culpable of a United back-four which crumbled today. Stood up well to Riera and then Dossena, at least until the substitute put the icing on the cake.

Ferdinand 5.5 – Rio started well enough, mopping up behind the more beleaguered Vidic. His afternoon would soon become a disaster too, though. He was booked for a challenge on Kuyt and failed to deal with the long ball which played in Dossena.

Vidic 4.5 – The Serb had the strength to marshal Gerrard early on, but then things went completely wrong. He was out-muscled by Torres after dithering, leading to the leveller. The Spaniard well and truly won the battle between the two, although it was the pace of Gerrard which led to him being sent off for hauling down the midfielder.

Evra 5 – The left-back’s deliveries weren’t forthcoming and then, on the defensive end, he was done by Gerrard for pace. Only he can explain why he chose to dive in, gifting the Reds’ skipper the spot-kick chance which he duly concerted.

Ronaldo 5.5 – CR7 wasn’t at his best during the first half, despite opening the scoring with a powerful penalty. On many occasions he chose not to shoot from promising free-kick situations – although this could have been instigated by the coaches. He was a passenger during the second half, wandering around with his head down and failing to produce anything worthwhile.

Carrick 5.5 – Had a decent battle with Lucas, which he initially looked to be winning, although his opponent grew into the game. Otherwise, his deliveries were unpredictable, leading to his substitution.

Anderson 5.5 – The Brazilian was in for his energy, but didn’t really justify his selection. Had one superb moment, turning swiftly before playing in Park, but was eventually hooked for Scholes.

Park 6.5 – One of the players who gets pass marks, Park’s energy was crucial at times. He scampered through to win United’s penalty and was busy early in the second half, before United capitulated.

Rooney 7.5 – United’s best player by a country mile. He was always chasing lost causes and turning lemons into lemonade, hacking countless wayward crosses back into the danger area. Wherever he was asked to play, and it really did vary, he looked dangerous. He should be more than a utility man, though.

Tevez 7 – Another who worked hard, he played the telling pass which led to United’s opener. The Argentine was involved in numerous near things, but the ball wouldn’t really fall for him.

Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes came on in a triple change, but ‘Pool scored the fourth almost immediately. It was too little, too late.

Liverpool

Reina 5.5 – The ‘keeper shouldn’t have come off his line to challenge Park and was duly punished for bringing down the wide-man. He guessed the right way, but Ronaldo’s power was his undoing. He was also lucky not to gift Tevez a poacher’s goal, initially fumbling a Ronaldo free-kick. Thereafter, his team took the pressure off his goal with a masterclass performance.

Carragher 6 – Was forced to play at right-back to accommodate Hyypia and started well, bravely blocking Park’s early blast. However, his lack of pace was exposed on more than one occasion and he was eventually booked for a foul on Tevez. Like Reina, would have been relieved to see the rest of the team take the Red Devils by the horns.

Skrtel 7 – It was his ridiculously long ball from his own area which released Torres, assisting Liverpool’s equaliser. Although he was booked, it was nevertheless a solid display.

Hyypia 6.5 – A late inclusion to the starting XI after Arbeloa pulled up with a hamstring problem during the warm-up. He did what he had to do, always seeming to be in the right areas and using all his experience.

Aurelio 7 – Covered for his centre-backs well, but his afternoon was set alight by his glorious free-kick, which put the game beyond doubt.

Mascherano 6.5 – The midfielder was booked for persistent fouling after a typically grimy game in the engine room. Perhaps not at his best, but he put himself about well.

Lucas 7 – He let Carrick get away, gifting the England international a good shooting opportunity. However, he was generally assured and eventually came out on top in terms of his battle with Carrick. Scrapped well late on to keep the Reds in pole position.

Kuyt 5.5 – It was a quiet game for the Dutchman, who somehow managed to let a 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford pass him by!

Gerrard 8.5 – Picked up where he left off in midweek. His positive runs were always a problem and they paid dividends when Evra brought him down before half-time, allowing him to dust himself off and convert to put the Reds in front. He was through on goal, forcing Vidic to haul him down and receive his marching orders.

Riera 4.5 – The Reds looked to him early on, but he couldn’t make a telling contribution and was hooked.

Torres 8 – Playing without a painkilling injection, unlike in midweek, Torres was again superb. He out-powered the dithering Vidic to tie things up and, although his lack of fitness started to tell, he was always dangerous until Rafa took him off.

Dossena 7 – came on to score with a great chip, making it two off the bench in a week. Babel and El Zhar also looked lively in limited minutes.

Milan Derby Player Ratings

Ronaldinho - A constant threat

Julio Cesar – 7.5: Looked a rock in goals tonight, and undeservedly conceded after 70 minutes, when Pato found the back of the net. He dealt with everything thrown at him, and his world class save against Inzaghi on 90 minutes could very well have handed Inter the Scudetto.

Maicon – 7.5: Despite reports suggesting that he would miss the derby, the right back made a miraculous recovery, and was brilliant tonight. He offered plenty in attack, got the better of his battle with Jankulovski, and provided the assist for the Adriano goal, with a glorious ball into the area.

Samuel – 7.0: Great performance by the Argentinean, and he even went close to opening the scoring with a header after nine minutes. He did extremely well to nullify the threat of Pato early on, and was a rock in the centre of defence over the 90 minutes.

Chivu – 7.5: The Romanian returned to the centre of defence in this match, and performed admirably throughout, as he looked comfortable and composed alongside Samuel. He was a little clumsy at times and almost handed Milan a penalty in the latter stages, when it seemed as if he fouled Inzaghi in the area.

Santon – 6.5: The 18-year-old Italian proved his worth once again tonight, as he took part in his first Milan derby. A daunting prospect for any young player, however the starlet can hold his head high following that performance.

Zanetti – 7.0: The captain was as solid as every in another derby, and he did extremely well at anchoring the midfield along with Cambiasso. He failed to put a foot wrong all night.

Cambiasso – 8.0: The Argentinean midfielder was arguably the Nerazzurri’s most consistent performer throughout, as he controlled the midfield for the entire match, and was damaging from set pieces.

Muntari – 7.0: Provided his attacking team mates with some glorious long balls all night, and it was his ball in towards Ibrahimovic that led to the Stankovic goal. He was also responsible for setting up Adriano on 47 minutes; however the Brazilian somehow missed the target.

Stankovic – 8.0: Continued his brilliant run of form in the derby with another solid display. He deservedly scored a goal after 43 minutes of play, after missing a crucial opportunity on 18 minutes. He was substituted in the closing stages to a rousing reception.

Adriano – 7.5: Worked hard all night and managed to score one, even if it was off his arm. He could have had two, and possibly even three, had Abbiati not been in such good touch.

Ibrahimovic – 7.5: The Swede was not at his brilliant best tonight, however he still managed to do the little things that counted along the way, such as getting a touch on Muntari’s long ball to set up the Stankovic goal. After a quiet first half, he burst into life in the second half, and was highly responsible for ensuring that Inter held on to win.

Subs: Vieira N/A, Burdisso N/A, Maxwell N/A

Milan

Abbiati – 7.5: The Milan keeper was certainly not at fault for either goal, as there was nothing he could do to prevent either. He made a brilliant save to deny Adriano a second on 60 minutes, as well as another world class save to deny the Brazilian a one on one opportunity just 14 minutes later.

Zambrotta – 6.5: Gave his all on the right, and got forward as often as he could. He made life tough for the Inter defenders early on in particular, however his impact was minimal when his team were not playing their best football.

Maldini – 5.5: The beloved captain will be disappointed with what could very well be his final derby appearance, as he was left for dead on more than one occasion tonight. He was completely at fault for the Adriano goal, despite the fact that it came off his arm, as he was caught ball watching when the Maicon cross came in.

Kaladze – 5.0: Made a timely return from injury for this contest, however the Georgian defender certainly struggled throughout. His inability to outmuscle Ibrahimovic in the air led to the Stankovic goal in the first half, and just moments after the restart he almost gifted Adriano his second goal, when he slipped and provided the Brazilian with a one on one opportunity against Abbiati.

Jankulovski – 5.5: Similar to Zambrotta, the left back got forward early on, but failed to impose himself when his team were down. He managed to test his luck on a couple of occasions, however unfortunately for his sake nothing came of them.

Ambrosini – 6.0: A solid performance from the Italian midfielder, however he was a little inconsistent at times. He made an outstanding challenge from behind to dispossess Stankovic on 18 minutes; in what certainly would have been the opening goal had he not made the challenge.

Pirlo – 5.5: The World Champion struggled defensively once again tonight; however to his credit he did provide some good service to his attackers throughout. Still nowhere near the Pirlo of old though.

Beckham – 4.5: Without doubt the least influential player on the park, the Englishman had no impact whatsoever. He was substituted after just 57 minutes as a result, and was replaced by the veteran striker Pippo Inzaghi.

Seedorf – 6.5: Was one of his side’s most composed players all night, and he had several opportunities to score, including one on 69 minutes, after some great work between he and Pato.

Ronaldinho – 7.5: Rediscovered some of his very best form tonight, with a dominant performance throughout. He was involved in absolutely everything in the first half, and continued in similar fashion in the second, to keep his side in it. His glorious ball through to Jankulovski led to the Pato goal, which gave Milan a glimmer of hope.

Pato – 7.0: The young Brazilian grabbed his ninth goal in ten matches, which was a reward for all of his hard work over the course of the 90 minutes. He made life for Samuel and Chivu difficult at times, however his performance was not as consistent as it has been previously.

Subs: Inzaghi 6.5, Senderos N/A