After another defeat in the Barclays Premier League - their seventh of the season - the Liverpool captain could not get out of this place quick enough.

Last March, when the club were challenging for the title, he scored twice in a 3-0 victory here at Old Trafford to maintain the momentum.

On Sunday he looked up to the heavens at the final whistle and appeared to be pleading for help. Is this really happening? Afraid so, Stevie.

Brendan Rodgers will tell you that his team dominated possession and should have got something out of Liverpool’s biggest game of the season. The body language of the players will tell you differently.

This is a dysfunctional mob, a group of players slung together over the summer and asked to repeat last season’s extraordinary feats.

There is no chance of that now, not after the manner and the conviction of this defeat by their oldest rivals in English football.

Who knows what Liverpool are aiming for now and it will only be magnified when the draw for the last 32 of the Europa League takes places again. They have the feel of a category B club again. 

This Liverpool dressing room is split, divided in their approach after failing to finish second behind Real Madrid in their Champions League group. ‘I wouldn’t tell if there have been issues, we keep that sort of thing internal,’ claimed Rodgers. It feels like it is out in the open anyhow.

Liverpool’s defence was all over the place at times here, cowed into a corner by the brilliance of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and the extremely fortunate Juan Mata.

(dailymail.co.uk)