United pile pain on ’Pool

Manchester United 3 Liverpool 0

Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie all scored while a brilliant display of goalkeeping by David de Gea secured a sixth consecutive Premier League win over struggling Liverpool, whose manager Brendan Rodgers had to endure the taunts of United supporters chanting ‘Sacked in the morning’.

United, lying in third, increase their lead in the Champions League spots to five points over Southampton while Liverpool remain in ninth.

Louis van Gaal’s side had claimed five successive Premier League wins yet that run did not tally with their form of late, with former defender Gary Neville highly critical of the display at Southampton last Monday.

Opponents Liverpool also suffered troubles of late as Neville billed this old rivalry as a clash between “two pub sides”.

Both sides opted to play three defenders and the changes in shape ended up producing numerous mistakes in an error-strewn first half. By that stage, United had mustered a two-goal advantage courtesy of a ruthless attack and a slice of fortune.

Just 25 seconds after Raheem Sterling should have slipped the ball beyond David de Gea rather than hitting the body of the Spaniard, United were ahead.

Rooney’s sixth goal of the season came from old-fashioned wing play by Antonio Valencia. With Liverpool left wing-back Alberto Moreno caught upfield attempting to help out an attack, the Ecuador wide man spotted the gaping hole, nutmegged Joe Allen and galloped into the oceans of space.

Valencia also showed composure by cutting the ball back into the path of Rooney, playing deeper in a midfield role, and from just inside the penalty area, the United captain slotted past Brad Jones, called into the Liverpool side by Rodgers for blundering goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Without Marcus Rojo due to an injury sustained on the training ground on Saturday, Louis van Gaal drafted in Jonny Evans and the fit-again Phil Jones as Patrick McNair dropped to the substitutes bench.

The returning centre-backs only had one forward to content with, but Sterling was proving a real handful.

After Sterling skinned Jones, De Gea came to United’s rescue to save his left-footed effort.

With both Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli on the bench for Liverpool, Sterling’s selection up appeared to be a wise one.

Yet, despite creating the better chances, Liverpool conceded for the second time, five minutes before the interval, in fortunate circumstances.

Mata ghosted in behind Moreno to head home at the far post, but Mata was a couple of yards offside following Van Persie’s flicked header from Ashley Young’s left-wing cross.

Balotelli was introduced after the break for Adam Lallana, and Rodgers’ side had a chance to halve the deficit but Jordan Henderson headed over. Sterling just could not get the better of De Gea, latching onto Jonny Evans’ horrible back-pass but the custodian was the saviour again.

United and van Persie coughing up a sitter on 63 minutes, the Dutchman slotted Valencia’s pass a yard wide.

Balotelli saw his 66th minute shot from 12 yards tipped onto the woodwork by the superb De Gea.

From the resulting corner, Balotelli almost hooked home but van Persie was on the goalline to clear.

The game was done and dusted with 19 minutes left as United scored an emphatic third. Rooney’s cross from the left saw a weak clearance by Dejan Lovren fall to Mata and his reverse pass allowed Van Persie to stroke home. It was more schoolboy defending against a ruthless attack.

Van Gaal was even afforded the luxury of replacing midfield talisman and captain Rooney, with Falcao handed his opportunity. Liverpool’s chances continued yet there was no way of beating de Gea as the Spain international kept out Balotelli on two further occasions.

Van Persie brought a fine save out of Jones in the closing minutes, but that would have only sealed the gloss on a fine afternoon’s work.

MAN UTD (5-3-2): De Gea 9; Valencia 7, Evans 6, Carrick 8, Jones 6 (McNair 89), Young 6; Fellaini 7, Mata 7, Rooney 8 (Falcao 78); Van Persie 8, Wilson 6 (Herrera 71, 6).

LIVERPOOL (5-4-1): Jones 6; Henderson 6, Johnson 6 (Toure 23, 6), Lovren 5, Skrtel 6, Moreno 4 (Markovic 68, 5); Allen 5, Gerrard 5, Lallana 5 (Balotelli 45, 5), Coutinho 5; Sterling 6

Referee: Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire) 6.