Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United - Five things we learned: Juan Mata proves he is not captain material and Roberto Firmino continues impressive form with a goal
* Juan Mata named captain on the night - and proved he is not up to task
* Sir Alex Ferguson watched along with former chief executive David Gill
* Roberto Firmino grabbed second goal to give home side control of the tie
* Memphis Depay gave away penalty and was disappointing at Anfield
Eyebrows were raised when Juan Mata was tasked with leading Manchester United - ahead of Chris Smalling and the midfielder proved he is not ready to be the Red Devils general.
Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance, along with David Gill and the pair will not have been pleased, as they watched Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino score to give Liverpool a two-goal cushion. Sportsmail's Dominic King looks at five things he learned from Anfield...
1. Juan Mata isn't captain material
Think of the warriors who have led Manchester United out at Anfield: Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce and Roy Keane are easily recalled from the modern era, men who would stand tall and drag their teams out of difficult moments. They provided security on the field and reassurance to those in the away end.
So imagine, then, what the feelings must have been when United fans saw Juan Mata standing at the front of the line, waiting to swap pennants. This being Juan Mata, who was sent off at West Brom on Sunday. Some reward for a moment of stupidity.
Mata might be a nice player and have experience but a Manchester United skipper? He was barely involved and never looked like galvanising his team when they were under pressure. One of many curious decisions by Louis Van Gaal. The man with the armband was weak and so was his team.
Juan Mata (centre) was surprisingly named as captain for Manchester United and was barely involved
2. Old enmities stand the test of time
IT was 7.52pm when Manchester United's hierarchy made their way to the posh seats. First came David Gill, then came Sir Bobby Charlton, a man who oozes grace and distinction. Ed Woodward, the current Chief Executive, was there too, sporting a multi-coloured scarf that Doctor Who would have thought twice about wearing.
Then, of course, there was Sir Alex Ferguson. He parked himself next to Gill after exchanging pleasantries and while some of United's directors looked at The Kop blasting out 'You'll Never Walk Alone', Ferguson looked anywhere else, chomping on a piece of gum and almost recoiling at Liverpool's anthem.
It was the kind of pose and look he would have had if he had been sat in the dugout overseeing operations. Safe to say one of his teams would never have played in such a spartan way here.
3. Roberto Firmino is slow burner who is really starting to ignite
At the beginning of this season, there were questions about how and where Liverpool's £29million signing from Hoffenheim would fit in and Brendan Rodgers seemed reluctant to play him.
Injuries and a period of adjustment hardly cast him in a positive light but since the turn of the year, Firmino has been superb and he was one of Liverpool's standout performers, the green boots he wore moved to quick for United's defenders.
There is a gap in Liverpool's squad for an icon to emerge and while it would be premature to say Firmino is going to become just that, he has made relentless progress in recent weeks. He scored his eighth goal since January 1 and it is by far the most important of his short career in England. The exciting thing is the promise of better to come. His standing ovation and the rousing cheers when he was substituted in the 84th minute were fully deserved.
4. Europe takes the Anfield crowd to different places
It has become a cliche to talk about the atmosphere changing in this ground when the opposition was foreign but there could be no more stark example to see the difference between the intensity of the noise here and how it was when the teams met in January.
That game was like an "experience" for fans, the crowd full of day trippers. The intensity for this, though, was on another level from the moment the teams emerged and the noise remained constant throughout. Jurgen Klopp wants Anfield to become an ordeal for visiting teams and this was a glimpse of how it can be. United - like Arsenal and Chelsea, who were blown away here in the Champions League in years gone by - simply couldn't cope.
5. Liverpool got away with it when they never signed Memphis Depay
It was around this time 12 months ago that Liverpool, who were aware that trouble was brewing with Raheem Sterling, set their sights on signing the winger who had been dazzling for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivise.
Liverpool officials met his representatives but, in the end, the lure of working with Louis Van Gaal was decisive. Once Manchester United showed their hand, there was only going to be one winner in that particular race.
Depay might have talent but what this game showed, again, was the move to such a big stage has happened too soon. Depay, who conceded the foul from which Daniel Sturridge put Liverpool in front, had an abysmal night, with his passes never finding a white shirt and his shots invariably went high and horribly wide. It would be unfair to make him the scapegoat for the worst performance United have produced at Anfield since the 1980's but he was a symbol of how bad they have become.
Memphis Depay (right) is shown a yellow card after giving away the penalty and was disappointing again
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