Manchester United gave their top-four hopes a major boost this afternoon with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Liverpool at Anfield.

Juan Mata goals either side of half time put United in control, while Liverpool were reduced to 10 men in the opening stages of the second period as Steven Gerrard was shown a straight red card less than a minute after coming on as a sub.

Daniel Sturridge pulled one back for the hosts to give them hope, but United held on and even squandered a glorious chance to make things more comfortable when Wayne Rooney saw his penalty saved in the last minute of stoppage time.

Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out during an action-packed clash between English football's two fiercest rivals.

© Getty Images

LIVERPOOL

Goal

Simon Mignolet: Very little he could have done about either of Mata's goals. Kept his side's ailing hopes alive in the closing stages with a fabulous save to deny Rooney from the penalty spot. (7/10)

Defence

Emre Can: Struggled up against the physical presence of Fellaini as United repeatedly targeted him with high balls. Also gave away the late penalty with a clumsy challenge on Blind. (5/10)

Martin Skrtel: Held his own up against Rooney and kept the United skipper quiet in the final third. May find himself in trouble for leaving a foot in on De Gea right at the end of the match. (6/10)

Mamadou Sakho: Strong in the tackle and in the air. Always looks unconvincing when in possession of the ball, but no major errors this afternoon. (6/10)

Midfield

Raheem Sterling: Broke through once early on but was largely kept quiet at wing-back. Forced to do more defending than he would have liked, particularly in the first half. (5/10)

Jordan Henderson: One of many who underperformed in the first half but was much better after the break, putting in a really good shift to make up for his side's numerical disadvantage. (7/10)

Joe Allen: Picked up an early booking having given away possession, but grew into the game and was neat and tidy after the break as Liverpool improved with 10 men. (6/10)

Adam Lallana: Spurned his side's only chance of the first half and was subsequently withdrawn at the break having been clattered by Jones earlier in the half. (5/10)

Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool's most impressive player on the day, although still short of his dazzling best. Provided the assist for Sturridge's goal and grew in influence as the game wore on. (7/10)

Alberto Moreno: Perhaps his poorest performance in a Liverpool shirt so far. Was partially culpable for both goals and gave the ball away far too often in general play. (4/10)

Attack

Daniel Sturridge: Always looked capable of causing problems with his pace, but that rarely actually materialised. Took his goal well, with the help of a slight deflection which sent it past De Gea at the near post. (7/10)

Substitutes

Steven Gerrard: Will dominate the headlines despite only being on the field for 48 seconds. Came on at half time and played one good raking pass forward before clattering into Mata with a hard, but fair, challenge. Then let his emotions get the better of him, though, and stamped on Herrera less than a minute after his introduction. Was rightly sent off in his final appearance against United. (1/10)

Mario Balotelli: Introduced with around 25 minutes remaining and was involved in one or two skirmishes that could have seen him follow the skipper back to the dressing room. Unable to make a difference. (6/10)

© Getty Images

MAN UTD

Goal

David de Gea: Uncharacteristic error as he was beaten at his near post by Sturridge. Was otherwise impressive, mopping up danger by being quick off his line on more than one occasion. (6/10)

Defence

Antonio Valencia: Not one of the many players who will be heavily mentioned in the match reports. Did a steady job at the back to curb Moreno's attacking instincts. (6/10)

Chris Smalling: Confident performance from the centre-back as he dealt with Sturridge well. (7/10)

Phil Jones: Fortunate not to be sent off for a rash challenge on Henderson that was late and high. Also clattered into Lallana earlier in the game as he put in a full-blooded performance. (6/10)

Daley Blind: Kept Sterling quiet down his flank but could have done better for the Liverpool goal having charged infield needlessly. (6/10)

Midfield

Juan Mata: Surely his best performance in a United shirt. Proved to be the difference in a man-of-the-match display that saw him score two fine goals, the second of which was different class. (9/10)

Ander Herrera: Provided a perfect through-ball for the opening goal and was neat and tidy in possession all game. Was on the end of Gerrard's stamp having put in a sliding challenge on the Liverpool skipper. (7/10)

Michael Carrick: Went about his job in typically understated fashion, controlling the tempo of the game in the first half as United dominated. Faded a little in the second period, however, and was caught in possession by Coutinho in the build-up to Liverpool's goal. (7/10)

Marouane Fellaini: His height and strength can cause any team problems, and Liverpool struggled to deal with him in the first half. Not exactly conducive to attractive football, with United hoofing it up to him on numerous occasions, but an important outlet nonetheless. (7/10)

Ashley Young: A quiet display compared to many of those around and was taken off 10 minutes into the second half after appearing to pick up an injury. (6/10)

Attack

Wayne Rooney: His Anfield woes continue. Worked hard throughout but missed a glorious chance to end his 10-year goalscoring drought at the stadium when he saw his late penalty saved. (5/10)

Substitutes

Angel di Maria: Chipped the pass through for Mata's stunning second but squandered a good chance to add a third moments later when his pass was behind an unmarked Rooney. (6/10)

Radamel Falcao: Replaced Herrera with less than 10 minutes left, by which point United were more focused on defending their lead than adding to it. (6/10)

Marcos Rojo: Came on in the final minute of added time and had a matter of seconds on the field. (6/10)