Gerrard sees red, Mata scores twice as United claim wild victory over Liverpool

Manchester United took a big step toward the fourth and final Champions League place on Sunday, with a pair of goals from Juan Mata - one of the spectacular variety - helping the Red Devils top Liverpool 2-1 on a picturesque afternoon at Anfield.

Sounds simple enough, right? With these two historic rivals, it never is.

The contest was set alight by a number of bizarre, shocking incidents in the second half, with Steven Gerrard at the forefront. The Liverpool captain, playing in his last match against Manchester United, came on at the start of the second half with the Reds down 1-0.

He was supposed to invigorate his side, like he has done so many times before. Instead, he lasted exactly 39 seconds. 

Gerrard was sent off for a clear, vicious stamp on Ander Herrera, ending his involvement in the frantic contest almost immediately after it began.

• Related: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard sent off within seconds of entering match

Couldn't have said it better myself.

While the extraordinary scenes involving the 34-year-old will garner all the headlines, with good reason, the bigger story is that Louis van Gaal and his men have opened up a five-point gap over Liverpool in the race for the Premier League's final Champions League place.

Here's what you need to know from an incredible day at Anfield:

• Manchester United 1, Liverpool 0: The visitors got off to a perfect start, with Herrera taking advantage of the woefully out-of-position Alberto Moreno - a common theme on the day - to slip a perfect ball through to Mata, who would open the scoring in the 14th minute.

• The fun really started in the second half, with Gerrard inciting the action less than a minute after his introduction into the match coming out of the halftime interval. You can't do things like this and get away with it, even if you're a Premier League legend.

(Courtesy: @Harry_White96)

• That tackle spawned a ridiculous stretch where the match was more comedy than football, with an asinine tackle from Phil Jones - for which he was lucky to only see yellow - followed by a bizarre scene with Angel Di Maria catching a ball that was well in play. It was all very, very odd.

• Manchester United 2, Liverpool 0: After some of the hilarity subsided, Mata put the game out of reach with a stunning goal befitting such a high-profile, important match. If this is the strike that ultimately gets the Red Devils into the Champions League, not even Liverpool supporters will be able to complain about it.

(Courtesy: TSN)

• Manchester United 2, Liverpool 1: Daniel Sturridge pulled one back in the 69th minute to create some drama, squeezing a shot by David De Gea, but it was little more than consolation.

• Wayne Rooney spurned a late chance to add his name to the scoresheet from the penalty spot, seeing his attempt pushed aside by Simon Mignolet. These things are determined ahead of time, but with Mata on a hat trick, it was somewhat surprising not to see the Spaniard step up to the spot. Not that it ultimately mattered, in fairness.

• Two incidents involving the goalkeepers highlighted the unsavory nature of the second half, as Rooney seemed to leave a leg in on Mignolet after going up for a ball in the air, while Martin Skrtel clearly stamped on De Gea's calf as the referee blew the final whistle.

• If Liverpool does miss out on the Champions League, they'll look back at the two matches against United and be more than a little sour.