Stewart Downing believes that Liverpool should "learn" how to win without playing well from Manchester United.

The Reds winger highlights Sir Alex Ferguson's side's performance in the second half during their 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.

"I just think it's about consistency," The Mirror quotes him as saying. "When Manchester United don't play well, they will win.

"They struggled in the second half, yet they won the game. That's what we can learn. Being hard to beat when we are not at our best.

"When we do play well, we murder teams. But when we don't play well, we don't exactly get results. That is probably a learning thing for us."

The defeat saw Liverpool fall 24 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United.