Manchester United 3 Liverpool 1: Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata inspire Louis van Gaal's side's comeback
Full match report from the International Champions Cup final between Manchester United and Liverpool at Sun Life Stadium, Miami on Tuesday Aug 5, 2014. Kick-off 01.00 BST
03.30 Louis van Gaal has his first silverware as United manager. For Alex Ferguson, it was the FA Cup, for Van Gaal it's the International Champions Cup. You've got to start somewhere, I suppose.
But Van Gaal should beware - 359 days ago David Moyes got his hands on his first 'trophy' as United boss. He hoped that was merely the start of a glorious adventure, instead it turned out to be the high point of his United career.
Thanks for following the blog throughout the evening. You can read Mark Ogden's match report from Miami right here. Goodnight.
Look at his happy little face.
Quote Anthony Hughes writes: "It’s important not to get to swept away by United’s promising pre-season thus far; Liverpool really tested us and i was glad of that. I expect Van Gaal to show no favouritism in who he decides to axe. I also expect Van Gaal and Woodward to dial up the charm offensive and really push on and bid for some players like Vidal, Hummels, Carvalho, Cuadrado and possibly a surprise in the form of Di Maria. Will be facilitating to see how United cope come August 16. So buckle United faithful."
Quote"Only pre season, but terrific display on United's account - Vidal and some creative wingers would be the correct response to the teams who think United have ended their winning spree," says Jake.
Quote Kiran Kulkarni writes: "This is all about the principles of management & motivation. A certain Wayne Rooney last season was made to look like a God by Moyes & was rewarded with astronomical hike. But now he is playing for his United future.. Because if Van Gaal can take off Van Persie & bring on Huntelaar in an important WC match, Rooney should be the most worried man at Old Trafford."
Wayne Rooney has been named man of the match and player of the tournament. He wins a fishing trip to Lake Michigan and lifetime gold card for Taco Bell.
Full time: Manchester United 3 Liverpool 1. Prepare the open top bus parade because Manchester United are the International Champions Cup champions. Liverpool dominated the first half but two quick goals from Wayne Rooney turned the game United's way and, after the obligatory raft of substitutions, Brendan Rodgers' side never really looked like getting back into it. Lingard added a third late on and Louis van Gaal is up and running, though United are clearly a long way from being a really top side. Expect some frenetic transfer activity in the next few weeks
90 min: The official attendance is 51,014. They'll never forget this. Or at least they'll never forget the half-time show. "Nobody will get carried away with this," say MUTV commentator Stuart Gardner moments after Paddy Crerard outlined "courage, bravery and commitment" as the cornerstones of their performance tonight.
GoalGoal! Liverpool 1 Manchester United 3 (Lingard 87). The International Champions Cup is heading to Manchester. Who would have believed it? It's a lovely finish from Lingard, slamming past Mignolet with the outside of his right foot from the edge of the area after Kagawa mis-controlled a cross from the right.
84 min: Yellow card for Wayne Rooney now for mouthing off after kicking Sterling.
82 min: Great work from Henderson down the right, he's so persistant he's like a child who is refusing to go to bed and manages to squirm away from their parent just as they think they've got them snared. Eventually he digs out a cross but Liverpool have no natural centre forward on the pitch and it shows as there's nobody there to attack it.
Quote Gareth Mills writes: "It's become clear that it's wasn't the players fault last year the the managing and coaching staff the level of football by Man Utd has been outstanding. If we bring in Mat Hummels United will be unstoppable."
79 min: A bizarre backpass from Rooney doesn't give De Gea much chance and it goes behind for a corner. The corner is too deep but Liverpool keep the ball alive and it takes a great challenge from Smalling to deny Kelly from putting a finishing touch to Toure's scuffed cross.
77 min: And another United change: Jesse Lingard is on for Ander Herrera. All the substitutes so far, on both teams, seem to have spent some time on loan at Birmingham city last season.
75 min: Jordan Ibe has looked lively since he's come on but has lacked a final ball. Liverpool make another change: Kristoff Peterson replaces Coutinho.
73 min: Kolo Toure comes on for Sakho and I can't help but feel Ray Winstone is missing a trick by not popping up now to tell us what the odds are on the next goal being an own goal.
67 min: Double change for United: Nani and Shinji Kagawa replaces Hernandez and Juan Mata
64 min: What's going on here? Rooney has the ball in the net and the referee and his linesman award the goal. But the ball clearly went out of play before hitting the stanchion at the back of the goal and bouncing back into the box where Rooney knocks it into an empty net. Eventually, with the help of his other linesman and possibly the big screens in the stadium, the goal is ruled out.
62 min: Triple change for Liverpool: Jordan Ibe, Emre Can and Lucas replaces Rickie Lambert, Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard.
61 min: United are completely transformed by those goals. Suddenly everyone wants the ball and is showing for it.
GoalGoal! Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 (Mata 57). What a turnaround. Liverpool stand off and let United work the ball from right to left, It's pulled back to Mata on the edge of the area, who takes a touch before firing a shot which deflects off Sakho and wrongfoots Mignolet in the Liverpool goal. That's the kind of crazy unpredictability you get from the International Champions Cup.
GoalGoal! Liverpool 1 Manchester United 1 (Rooney 55). It's a wonderful equaliser for United. Herrera picks out Hernandez on the right with a lovely ball. His cross is early and deep and Rooney arrives at the back post and cushions it back across Mignolet with his left and it nestles in the corner. Great finish.
53 min: Through ball from Sterling to Coutinho who dawdles when he may have shot and United clear.
51 min: Yellow card for Luke Shaw. I'm not entirely sure we. Still, the referee seemed to enjot brandishing it and that's the main thing.
49 min: Very nearly 2-0 to Liverpool. Coutinho splits the defence with a splendid through ball. Sterling picks up, cuts inside and shoots - it takes a big deflection off Smalling and drifts just wide of De Gea's right hand post.
48 min: Liverpool are pressing well but United are meeting them halfway at times. It's a really poor pass from Herrera to Cleverley and Gerrard pounces. He finds Lambert who elects to shoot early but doesn't get much power behind it and De Gea saves easily.
47 min: Blackett has gone to the left of United's back three with Smalling central and Jones on the right. The 20-year-old has had plenty of the ball in the opening couple of minutes.
Peep!! United get the second half underway. Just 45 minutes remain for them to rescue their International Champions Cup dream.
United make a couple of changes at the interval: Tyler Blackett comes on for Jonny Evans, Tom Cleverley replaces Darren Fletcher.
01.57 No words can properly describe what's going on at half time in the Sun Life Stadium. Meanwhile, Declan Till writes:
Quote "LVG is without a doubt the man for the job but we need at least 3 more players, a good central defence midfielder, forget Vidal, I think William Carvalho a young 21 Portuguese prodigy for 37 million when were going to folk out 48 million for a 27/28 year old. We need a defender such like Mats Hummels and I thought an excellent choice to partner him would be Stefan De Vrij but we lost out Lazio. We need a Central defence midfielder and two centre backs at least."
Half time: Manchester United 0 Liverpool 1. Steven Gerrard's penalty gives Liverpool a well deserved lead at the break. They've dominated almost every area of the field and their high-tempo pressing hasn't allowed United to settle at all. And in Sterling and Coutinho they have the two most creative players on the pitch.
44 min: United finally string a few passes together with Rooney at the heart of things. Young again swings in a cross from the right but Mignolet gathers easily.
42 min: Sterling again causes havoc, cutting inside Young who does enough to put him off and his shot is weak.
40 min: Coutinho and Sterling are running the show. If it was Sturridge rathar than Lambert leading the line they may have been able to create a few more openings. Martin Kelly takes inspiration from his team-mates and skips by a couple of challenges before dragging his shot wide.
34 min: United counter and Young swings in a cross from the right which Mignolet claws away. A rare foray forward from Van gaal's side who haven't shown much attacking cohesion. They haven't shown much defensive cohesion either.
33 min: United are caught in possession on the edge of their own area. Lambert finds Sterling who gets held up and then goes down in the area under a challenge from Ander Herrera. Sterling wants another penalty. The referee says no. He probably should have said yes.
31 min: Liverpool's high-tempo pressing has been really impressive so far. As has Sterling's high-tempo running. Smalling is forced to come sliding across to make a vital tackle otherwise the Liverpool man was in on goal again.
26 min: Gerrard is liitle lucky not to get booked as he clatters into Young, who drops to the ground in the manner we have come to expect from the United man. But if it was a runof the mill league game, rather than the final of the International Champions Cup, he may well have been booked.
Quote Nomishan Tersoo writes: "LVG should not sit back thinking the squad is good enough, we need a box-to-box defender, every successful team has one at-least. And as well a destroyer that will scare offensive players, the attack is not bad but additional challenge will be a welcome idea. B. Rodgers on the other hand needs to a match winner in the class of Suarez or at-least close to that.....MOTIVATOR.....even if it means to "bite" to get results."
23 min: Great effort from Coutinho who dances past Evans and fires from distance but the Spaniard beats it away. The ball is fired back into the centre by Lambert and Jones knocks it behind for a corner, which United defend well.
21 min: Nice break down the left from Hernandez who fizzes the ball across the edge of the area towards Rooney but Sakho sticks out one of his long, gangly and frankly awkward legs and toes the ball away.
19 min: Decent response to going behind from United. Sakho gets caught in no man's land and for a second it opens up for Juan mata who shoots from distance but Joe Allen throws his frame in front of the shot and deflects it out of the danger area.
GoalGOAL! Liverpool 1 Manchester United 0 (Gerrard 12). The Liverpool captain sends De Gea the wrong way and Liverpool have a lead they deserve having started much the brighter. They are up for this particular cup.
12 min: Penalty to Liverpool! Sterling goes down the left and is too quick for Phil Jones who chops him down inside the area. The United players complain but it seems a nailed on penalty to me. It was a typical Phil Jones tackle - i.e not a very good one.
11 min: Raheem Sterling is looking really lively so far - he's been Liverpool's best player of this pre-season campaign.
8 min: A chance for Henderson as Gerrard disguises a free kick and picks out his midfield colleague rather than shoot as everyone expects. Henderson elects to head
goalwards rather than let it fall on the volley and gets it all wrong. Henderson really needs to add some goals to his game.
7 min: Early change for United as Luke Shaw comes on for a presumably injured Antonio Valencia. Young moves to the right and Shaw slots in the left.
4 min: It could - and should - be 1-0 to United. It's a lovely move starting with Valencia who works it wide to Young on the left. He cuts inside and picks out Hernandez inside the six-yard area but the Mexican defelects the ball away from goal on the stretch and Sakho hoofs clear before Mata can pounce. From the ensuiing corner Mignolet punches clear.
2 min: Steven Gerrard is starting so deep he's almost a centre back in between Skrtel and Sakho. He's helping ping the ball around from what is now 'his favoured quarterback position', which is fitting in the home of Dan Marino. Liverpool win a corner on the right. Gerrard to take, poorly, and Young boots clear.
Peep!! The referee blows the whistle as Seven Nation Army continues to play over the tannoy but Liverpool get the game underway regardless.
01.00 If this stadium looks familiar it's because it was the scene of Wrestlemania XXVIII. That's exactly what you were thinking, wasn't it?
00.58 The teams are out on the pitch. Liverpool are in yellow. At least i think they are. The smoke from the pre-match fireworks has hung in the damp air and so the players are barely visible. Not a good start.
00.55 This is what we're playing for tonight - the International Champions Cup, a piece of silverware that makes the Barclays Asia Trophy seem like a meaningless tin pot handed out at the end of a shameless money-grabbing exercise. If this didn't feel real before it certainly does now.
00.30 The two teams are greeted with a chorus of boos as they come out to warm up at the Sun Life Stadium. Americans are really getting the hang of this football thing.
00.20 Tonight's fourth official is a Mr Ted Unkel. As you were
12am Good evening/good morning enthusiastic pre-season friendly fans.
Welcome to live coverage of the massive, massive clash between Manchester United and Liverpool in the final of the International Champions Cup, a competition so dextrous in its beauty that until a few days ago most of us didn't even know it existed, assuming instead that these fixtures between Premier League superpowers and the giants of European football were a series or arbitrary and seemingly meaningless contents played out in the pursuit of fitness and/or those sweet sweet dollar bills.
How wrong we were.
Now we know that the International Champions Cup is, in fact, the greatest competition known to man. It's the Europa League, the FA Cup, the Capital One Cup and the Inter City Fairs Cup rolled into one. It's that European Super League they have talked about for years, but with added tailgate parties, nachos and Budweiser.
One day there will chapters of books devoted to this game. Unfortunately those books will probably be chronicling how English football ate itself, but who cares. It's Manchester United v Liverpool. It's the middle of the night and it's all we've got. Right?
So on a scale of one to Paul Gascoigne in the 1991 FA Cup final, how pumped up are you right now? I'm pretty psyched. I'm away to get me suit measured and then I'll be back with team news and more build up from Miami, where it is bucketing down with rain. Perfect. T
