Controversial penalty sends ten-man Liverpool into the red

Manchester United 1 Liverpool 0

The bubble of optimism surrounding Kenny Dalglish’s return to Liverpool was burst by a second-minute Ryan Giggs penalty and the dismissal of Steven Gerrard in an eventful first-half of this FA Cup third-round tie at Old Trafford.

Dalglish would have been cursing World Cup final referee Howard Webb, who harshly ruled Daniel Agger had tripped Dimitar Berbatov inside the first 30 seconds.

Giggs struck the ball past Pepe Reina from the spot to put United ahead before Liverpool’s hopes of a comeback were badly dented just past the half hour when Webb ruled Gerrard’s lunge on Michael Carrick warranted instant dismissal.