United Efficient, Webb Insistent.

Kenny Dalglish stole the headlines prior to kick-off, but Howard Webb ensured that only he was the centre of attention as the final whistle blew with two critical decisions; one correct, one wrong.

Liverpool entered the game without too many drastic changes, Fabio Aurelio replacing Paul Konchesky, Daniel Agger drafted in ahead of Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Martin Kelly called in to cover for Glen Johnson’s absence, which definitely wasn’t due to an internet brawl with Paul Merson. A familiar formation, Gerrard behind Torres with Lucas and Raul Meireles in auxiliary positions and flanked by Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez.

It’s a familiar tactic, yet Fernando Torres continues to play like he’s alien to it.

If Dalglish wanted a response from his new charges, a response was what he got. A mere 30 seconds into the first half and Agger had needlessly lunged in on Dimitar Berbatov and conceded a penalty. The contact was soft and the penalty was the wrong decision from Howard Webb, much to the derision of Liverpool fans. The only thing more wrong than the penalty award was Agger’s decision making, something which will have made an instant impact on Dalglish’s thoughts of a defender who had issued a “Use me or Lose me” plea to Roy Hodgson.

After Ryan Giggs had blistered Pepe Reina’s fingertips en route to handing United the lead, Liverpool made a marked improvement in comparison to their recent, point-costing performances. They were considerably sharper and more positive than against Wolves, with Steven Gerrard looking to lead by example.

If awarding Manchester United a penalty wasn’t enough, however, Howard Webb went one further by dismissing Gerrard for a two-footed lunge on Michael Carrick. A contentious foul that, had Gerrard not reacted to by telling Carrick to get up from, may have been met with a calmer reproach. The fact is Gerrard was seemingly reacting to Meireles ducking out of a challenge with Rafael Da Silva.

The sending off, whilst leaving Liverpool chasing the game with a man down, also served to isolate an increasingly disinterested Torres. Liverpool’s system utilises Gerrard’s advanced position to detract attention away from the lone striker with his forward runs, yet Torres is becoming static and his lack of movement is hindering Liverpool.

Being forced to toil up front as a lone striker is not the most enviable job in football, particularly in a side as devoid of creativity as Liverpool and in a league with ruthless, physically dominant defenders. Getting the most out of Torres is imperative to any success Dalglish can expect, and there is a rather simple remedy to this: take the heat off the Spaniard by deploying a partner.

So much emphasis has been placed on this 4-4-1-1 formation that Liverpool are quick to employ, yet its utilisation is clearly not in the best interests in the team. If Dalglish wants to have an instantaneous impact, then he has to leave this malfunctioning tactic by the wayside and start from scratch.

Installing another forward into the set-up will halve the pressure and expectation on Fernando's shoulders, divert attention from him and should, in theory, make Liverpool more dynamic in attack. Ideally, a target-man in the Edin Dzeko mould would allow Torres to operate with freedom. A midfielder would have to be sacrificed in order to allow the change, but it has been made evident that Torres is creasing under the pressure of leading Liverpool's charge.

From Gerrard’s dismissal in the 31st minute till the 61st minute, Liverpool were left playing through the motions without much forward movement. Torres was choked out of the game and Kuyt left to squander without service as United pushed further up the field, pushing Meireles and Lucas so far back that they were in a time-share agreement with their own centre-halves.

This was rectified with an impressive double-substitution. Meireles and Maxi Rodriguez departed, with Jonjo Shelvey and Ryan Babel entering the fray, and their impact was visible with their first touches. Shelvey garnered a reputation as an intelligent, attacking midfielder for both Charlton and England U19s, and his presence instantly pushed United’s midfield back enough to relieve some pressure. Babel, on the other hand, made more of an effort in the first 10 minutes than Torres had for the previous 60, pushing back United’s full-backs and hassling them into searching, rather than placed, passes.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, United had just the remedy. Such is Anderson’s resurgence this season that he’s now being rested, and he nullified Shelvey’s impact with a succession of challenges and drives forward. The difference between United and Liverpool was, with that substitution, made quite evident. Dalglish was forced to search for the game by installing largely untested, young players, while Sir Alex Ferguson was allowed to react by installing a midfielder of the calibre of Anderson to see the game out.

By the time Torres trudged off the pitch, with the same amount of effort that he’d shown on it, to be replaced by David N’gog, the game was beyond Liverpool and the remaining 13 minutes played out without much incident.

Dalglish can use this game as a learning experience, but there’s only so much to learn from a professional and efficient performance from Ferguson’s side that has become the trademark of United this season.