It’s almost time for one of the biggest games of the season. Brendan Rodgers and Alex Ferguson have just been interviewed together by Sky, doubtless hoping to quell any potential crowd disturbances before they happen.

(The body language, incidentally, was less than comfortable).

The big news is that Nemanja Vidic does not start, with Ryan Giggs captaining the visitors instead of Patrice Evra. Will there be a handshake?

We bloody well hope so.

Here are the teams…

Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Gerrard, Allen, Shelvey, Borini, Suarez, Sterling

Subs: Jones, Jose Enrique, Sahin, Assaidi, Henderson, Carragher, Fernandez Saez

Man Utd: Lindegaard, Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Carrick, Giggs, Valencia, Kagawa, Nani, van Persie

Subs: De Gea, Anderson, Hernandez, Welbeck, Scholes, Cleverley, Buttner

Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

We’ve had the handshake between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra. Now let’s have some football…

As ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ plays, there seems to be a vocal minority directing abusive chants towards the Liverpool fans. Hard to make it out though…

The game kicks off. ‘Justice For The 96′ rings out.

The official line on Vidic is that he has been rested – he was a long time out, after all, and Jonny Evans is no slouch.

Nothing to report on the pitch as yet. Liverpool have had a corner and Steven Gerrard has featured prominently, but that’s about the height of it.

The crowd roars! Jonjo Shelvey plays a corner short to Steven Gerrard, who finds the side netting. Bright start for Liverpool.

Johnson does well to keep a poor pass from Borini in play, before Rafael takes the Liverpool full-back out of it. Inexplicably, no free-kick.

Shocking play from Borini, whose touch from a brilliant Suarez through ball is far too heavy. The Italian gets an earful from Gerrard, and it’s deserved. He’s started terribly.

This is disappointing, to say the least…

Hollywood ball. You know the ending.

Rio Ferdinand has sustained a knock. The only defensive reinforcement is Alex Buttner, a full-back, so the United faithful will be hoping the veteran recovers.

United have been poor so far, failing to find their strikers and allowing themselves to be overrun by Liverpool in midfield.

Martin Kelly fouls Kagawa – dangerous free-kick for the visitors.

Nani’s free-kick is only marginally better than his penalty against Galatasaray, and that is not saying much.

Luis Suarez takes a pass from Sterling before fires over the bar. He doesn’t look happy that Borini didn’t give him a better option.

In the next wave, the Uruguayan tries to wriggle past Ferdinand, but it’s not happening.

Sterling is caught by Evra just outside the box. A clear foul on the youngster, but no booking from Mark Halsey. Gerrard’s free-kick is thumped at Suarez, who gets far too much on the ball and it goes wide. That needed a glance.

Heartwarming stuff from Suarez and Evra. You can just feel the love.

Liverpool are destroying United, yet the game remains scoreless. Sterling and Suarez are dominating the United defence.

Then, out of nowhere, Jonjo Shelvey launches himself at Jonny Evans and gets himself sent off. Alan Smith says it was ‘borderline,’ but it was reckless and he had to go.

Suarez goes down like he’s been shot under  a tame challenge from Ferdinand. No need for it. Suarez takes the free-kick himself but it was easy for Lindegaard.

The Liverpool fans boo Evans when he comes back on from the Shelvey challenge. Some people are idiots.

Borini gets free down the left but isn’t able to find Suarez with his cross, while Sterling is too far behind the play.

That’s the end of the first half. Liverpool utterly dominated the play and it’s hard to remember a single United effort on Pepe Reina’s goal.

Unfortunately for the home side, Jonjo Shelvey has walked for a stupid tackle on Jonny Evans and they’re playing with nine men, as Fabio Borini is utterly useless as some form of winger.

Shovel list: Those poxy Ladbrokes ads with the shouty, Italian, moustacioed man. Absolutely no need for that kind of aural abuse.

With thanks to Brian Durand, here’s the Shelvey incident. Should both players have walked? Or neither?

The second half has started, with Paul Scholes replacing Nani for Manchester United. The Portuguese was hopeless in the first half.

LIVERPOOL GOAL! Substitute Suso gets a cross in. It’s headed out to Glen Johnson, whose cross finds Steven Gerrard in acres of space and he volleys superbly into the United net.

EQUALISER FOR MANCHESTER UNITED! Some brilliant inter-play between the United midfield and eventually Kagawa plays it out to Rafael, who brilliantly shoots past Reina.

Patrice Evra makes a mess of marking Raheem Sterling but the winger can’t get a shot in. Instead, his cross makes its way to Gerrard, who shoots straight at Lindegaard.

Suarez collects the ball from Sterling and goes down under a challenge from Evans. The temptation is to call it a dive, given the reputation of the attacker, but Evans made contact with the striker and it should have been a penalty.

Meanwhile, Paul Scholes has been booked.

Kagawa splits the Liverpool defence to find Evra, but the Frenchman’s cross is behind van Persie. Poor from the United left-back.

Great effort by Suarez, who takes a pass from Martin Skrtel before lashing an effort at the United goal. Lindegaard with a fine instinctive save.

Michael Carrick picks out an onrushing Ryan Giggs, but the Welshman is flagged offside as he is about to pull the trigger.

Liverpool fly forward and Suso’s shot is blocked by Lindegaard. The youngster has impressed since replacing Borini at half-time.

Another Liverpool substitution: Jordan Henderson replaces Sterling. Odd decision, and Patrice Evra will be relieved.

Steven Gerrard’s opener…

Rio Ferdinand has cramp.

Elsewhere, we have the Manchester City team to face Arsenal.

Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany (C), Lescott, Clichy, Garcia, Y. Toure, Silva, Sinclair, Dzeko, Aguero

PENALTY FOR UNITED! Suso’s pass puts Agger in trouble, Antonio Valencia breaks, and as he is about to pull the trigger Glen Johnson fouls him. Van Persie will take it, having barely touched the ball all game…

We’re still waiting, and Jamie Carragher will have to replace the injured Agger. Van Persie is just skulking around the penalty area.

2-1 to Manchester United! Reina gets a hand to van Persie’s penalty but it’s too strong, and the Dutchman has his fifth goal in five games this season.

Javier Hernandez replaces Shinji Kagawa.

Chance for Liverpool! Glen Johnson floats over a brilliant cross but Martin Kelly doesn’t get enough on it, and it goes just wide.

A disappointing corner from Suso as Liverpool threaten. Van Persie has been booked for the first time in a United shirt, and deservedly so after he fouled… someone wearing red.

A bit of a ding-dong in the comments. For the record, my out-of-work allegiance lies with Liverpool. My in-work allegiance lies with my unbiased interpretation of events.

Danny Welbeck replaces Rafael, who goes off injured. United are going for a third. Liverpool look to be spent. This is likely to be no wins in five for Rodgers in the Premier League.

Should this have been a penalty?

Martin Kelly is injured and Liverpool could be down to nine players, as they’ve used all their substitutes. It’s 9 v 11. It’s three points for United, surely.

Mark Halsey will not have many friends left on Merseyside. He has given Liverpool nothing, denying Suarez an obvious free-kick just before he blows the whistle for full-time.

The Reds performed admirably but the sending off of Jonjo Shelvey put his side under unnecessary pressure, and they tired at the end.

United won this one ugly, but they won’t care. Liverpool now have two points from five Premier League games, with hopes of a top four finish already greatly compromised.

That’s all from Anfield, we’ll be back soon for Manchester City v Arsenal…