Steven Gerrard ‘thoroughly upstaged’ Roy Keane on their first meeting. The Irishman ‘mocked suggestions he might be eclipsed’ five years later.
Keane was in no mood to discuss recent speculation linking him with the Celtic job when asked by Ally McCoist. But the idea of him clashing with Rangers manager Gerrard again in Scotland brings to mind their battles as players, of which there were ten.
Result: Manchester United 0 Liverpool 1 (Murphy 43)
Date: 17/12/00
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
Not since December 1998 had Manchester United lost a Premier League game at home. The last time they had failed to at least score at Old Trafford came the previous month in a stalemate with Newcastle. Liverpool had lost to Ipswich the previous week and were without a league win away at their bitter rivals since 1990. They started the day in sixth, 13 points behind the reigning champions and leaders. So obviously Danny Murphy scored the game’s only goal after some questionable handling from Gary Neville and a distinct lack thereof on the part of Fabien Barthez.
‘Liverpool won yesterday because, having taken the lead, they showed the discipline in defence which has sometimes been wanting this season and were exceptionally well served in midfield by Steven Gerrard, who thoroughly upstaged Roy Keane in the matter of commanding the ball and consistently turning defence into attack’ – David Lacey, The Guardian.
Result: Liverpool 2 (Gerrard 16, Fowler 41) Manchester United 0
Date: 31/3/01
Minutes on the pitch together: 88
By the time Liverpool hosted Manchester United three months later, the gap had been extended to 14 points. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side responded with a 12-game unbeaten Premier League run, while Gerard Houllier’s team struggled to capitalise on the momentum. Yet Liverpool were strangely superior at Anfield before and even after Murphy’s red card with 20 minutes to play. Gerrard dominated with a spectacular opener, followed by a deft cross for the second.
‘Not for the first time, and probably not the last, Gerrard was the driving influence of this Liverpool triumph, an indomitable presence on the right of midfield. His 16th-minute haymaker, a sure-fire contender for goal of the season, was an object lesson how to strike a long shot and watching him dominate Roy Keane et al just confirmed that Liverpool have a future England captain on their payroll. Possibly, even, this season’s player of the year’ – Daniel Taylor, The Guardian.
Result: Manchester United 0 Liverpool 1 (Murphy 85)
Date: 22/1/02
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
Having scored in eight consecutive Premier League games, Ruud van Nistelrooy found himself unable to extend that run against a determined Liverpool rearguard in early 2002. The hosts started the day top of a Premier League table in which first and fifth were separated by five points. By the end that gap was four, with Liverpool closing to within two of a side chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive English championship. A counter-attacking masterclass from the Reds, who spent much of the afternoon being mocked over their Mickey Mouse Treble by the 1999 trophy hoarders, paid dividends late on as Murphy again haunted Old Trafford, latching onto Gerrard’s pass to lift past Barthez. Phil Thompson, still in interim charge as Houllier recovered from a heart problem, had his second win in ten Premier League games.
‘Gerrard became an increasing influence on the game. His assist for Murphy’s winner simply confirmed what had already been a man-of-the-match performance’ – BBC.
‘United, largely through the increased efforts of Juan Sebastian Veron and Roy Keane, climbed back into the contest’ – BBC.
‘Liverpool’s ability to attack more after half-time while retaining numerical superiority at the back was down to the tireless midfield efforts of Steven Gerrard and Dietmar Hamann’ – David Lacey, The Guardian.
‘It was ‘an irrepressible performance’ from Gerrard, who was ‘outstanding all night’ – Henry Winter, Daily Telegraph, with no mention made of Keane whatsoever.
Result: Liverpool 2 (Gerrard 39, Owen 86) Manchester United 0
Date: 2/3/03
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
Even with the opening goal, a long-range effort that deflected in off David Beckham, Gerrard was thoroughly outshone by Jerzy Dudek in the 2003 Worthington Cup final. In his first game against Manchester United since the Diego Forlan-inspired disaster little over two months earlier, the Pole put in a man-of-the-match display with some fine saves. He had actually lost his starting place after that defeat to United in December 2002 but Chris Kirkland’s injury offered him a chance to exorcise some demons and garnish a poor Liverpool season with some silverware.
The BBC gave Gerrard an 8/10 in their match ratings, compared to Keane’s 6/10.
“The players, managers, staff are all upset but I suppose nowhere near as bad as the fans. If you don’t win a match in football you feel as though you have let the fans down. It would have been nice to get a piece of silverware in the cabinet, especially with the opposition being Liverpool” – Roy Keane.
Result: Manchester United 4 (Van Nistelrooy 5, 65, Giggs 78, Solskjaer 90) Liverpool 0
Date: 5/4/03
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
“If you were asked what you’d rather have, two League victories over Liverpool or the League Cup, what would your answer be?” was the hypothetical Ferguson posed after a commanding win a month after their Millennium Stadium no-show. You’d think it would be the trophy but the Scot revelled in a victory “without running”. Sami Hyypia was sent off after four minutes, the first of two penalties that Van Nistelrooy dispatched en route to finally beating Thierry Henry in the race for the Golden Boot.
Result: Liverpool 1 (Kewell 76) Manchester United 2 (Giggs 59, 70)
Date: 9/11/03
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
After losing 2-1 at home to both Arsenal and Chelsea by the time Manchester United visited Anfield, defeat by the same scoreline to another direct rival seemed to confirm Liverpool’s status outside of that particular elite. Florent Sinama-Pongolle almost changed the game upon his introduction, assisting Harry Kewell’s strike before Gerrard played him in a minute later, but Graham Poll was unmoved by demands for a penalty after Rio Ferdinand slid in. United, for the time being, kept pace with unbeaten Arsenal and a Chelsea side boosted by Roman Abramovich’s investment.
‘The first half had to be relished for the technique of several midfield players, among whom Gerrard dominated’ – Kevin McCarra, The Guardian.
‘Ignominy was engulfing Liverpool but they responded well, inspired inevitably by Steven Gerrard and a beseeching Kop’ – Henry Winter, Daily Telegraph.
Result: Manchester United 0 Liverpool 1 (Murphy 63)
Date: 24/4/04
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
The final instalment in the Murphy’s Law trilogy, in which the midfielder scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford in three out of four seasons, finally made it mathematically impossible for Manchester United to defend their Premier League title in late April 2004. The form of Arsenal made that an incredibly unlikely outcome either way, but they would have chosen perhaps anyone other than Liverpool to deal that last hammer blow. Gerrard won the decisive penalty from a desperate Gary Neville in a game most notable for its kick-off time: 3pm on a Saturday.
Stéphane Henchoz and Sami Hyypia were excellent in central defence, but Steven Gerrard made a difference in every area of the pitch’ – Paul Wilson, The Observer.
‘Liverpool, inspired as always by captain Steven Gerrard – where on earth would they be without him? – stepped up an attacking gear’ – Roy Collins, Daily Telegraph.
Result: Manchester United 2 (Silvestre 20, 66) Liverpool 1 (O’Shea OG 54)
Date: 20/9/04
Minutes on the pitch together: 39
A consummate performance from Rio Ferdinand in his first game since January, having missed the end of the previous campaign, the entirety of Euro 2004 and the start of the 2004/05 season, dominated the headlines to a battling Manchester United victory at Old Trafford. Gerrard was substituted before half-time with a foot injury as the hosts secured only their second win in six opening games. Xabi Alonso almost scored from the halfway line in the 71st minute, long before making a career habit of it. Keane was booked a few seconds later for scything down Steve Finnan.
Result: Liverpool 0 Manchester United 1 (Rooney 21)
Date: 15/1/05
Minutes on the pitch together: 90
It took until their ninth meeting for Keane to irrefutably get the better of Gerrard in direct combat without caveats, but when it did happen it was worth the wait for the Irishman. Fernando Morientes and Mauricio Pellegrino made their Liverpool debuts and were treated to a lesson in how to control proceedings single-handedly. Keane hit the bar. Wayne Rooney scored the winner on his first appearance for Manchester United against his boyhood nemesis.
‘When the teams came out, Roy Keane appeared to have forgotten the obligatory handshaking ceremony and ran alone across the pitch, applauding the Manchester United fans all the way. He realised his error and sheepishly joined his amused colleagues – and not until the 88th minute, when he was shown the yellow card for scything down the substitute Igor Biscan, did Keane make another false move.
‘With Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher, who deserved to share man-of-the-match honours with their captain, he gave Manchester United control. He might, indeed, have given them a two-goal lead within half an hour, a crafty lob dipping on to the crossbar. It was, all in all, a wonderfully sharp and intelligent display by the 33-year-old Irishman, one that mocked suggestions he might be eclipsed by his counterpart and junior by nine years; although Steven Gerrard strove, as ever, to lead by example, he will take a long time to acquire Keane’s nous’ – Patrick Barclay, Daily Telegraph.
Result: Liverpool 0 Manchester United 0
Date: 18/9/05
Minutes on the pitch together: 88
Four months after lifting the Champions League, Liverpool hosted Manchester United without an innate inferiority complex against their bitter rivals for perhaps the first time in Premier League history. The even nature of the conflict was born out in a 0-0 draw that allowed both to retain distant hopes of toppling runaway leaders and champions Chelsea. It was not only Gerrard and Keane’s last match against one another, but Keane’s last of any kind in the Premier League. He was substituted in the 88th minute after injuring his foot in a tackle with Luis Garcia and had left United for Celtic after a series of rows with Ferguson, some over a few choice remarks in MUTV interviews, by the time he was fit again.
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