Steven Gerrard's moment of madness may cast a shadow over a feisty match between Manchester United and Liverpool, but from Louis van Gaal's point of view, many positive things will shine through.
The 2-1 win at Anfield gives the 20-time champions a real headstart in the final run-in for a Top Four place, but also gives some encouragement that the system that was also used against Tottenham last weekend is a good foundation for the future challenges to come.
Johnny Kills AKA Juan Mata, to use the original Spanish translation of his name, was fantastic in a performance that goes beyond both of his excellent goals.
The United attacking midfielder's use of the ball was astute and intelligent on live viewing, and after the match it was no surprise to see that he completed 93 per cent of his passes. Plus his movement was excellent as he found pockets of space between the Liverpool left wing-back and left centre-back consistently - positioning and runs that led to both of his goals.
This Squawka graphic shows Mata's zone of influence during the 90 minutes.
The first of those was Ander Herrera's making with an excellent through-ball and his performance deserves plenty of credit for his energy in midfield. Pre-game one of the big challenges was preventing Liverpool from getting the most out of attacking midfielders Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, and of Herrera's 10 attempted tackles, six were against that pair, even if the challenges were not always successful.
His link-up play was also noteworthy, particularly down the right side of the pitch. The two players he exchanged most passes with were Antonio Valencia (33 times) and Mata (29) on the right side, in an area Liverpool struggled with.
Pre-game, the shuttling of the Anfield side's wing-backs was an area that Man United had to be wary of as it allows the Liverpool creative department to cut inside.
But Alberto Moreno had a nightmare on the left, while Raheem Sterling was poor on the other flank, where Man United's Ashley Young, Daley Blind and the channel running of Marouane Fellaini also thrived.
Consequently, Coutinho and Lallana (in the first half) were unable to get into the game, bar occasional flashes, and the stats do show that the duo created one chance between them, as well as the shot which the former Southampton captain should have converted not long after United's opening goal. Between the Liverpool pair, they also only managed 68 per cent pass completion.
In contrast, United's midfield pair of Michael Carrick and Herrera average 86 per cent as the tempo of their passing out-manouvered Liverpool in the first half especially, and it highlights something Michael Cox of Zonal Marking said after last week's victory over Tottenham: getting United's best passers into the team paid lucrative dividends.
All in all, it eases the pressure on Van Gaal and the formation leaves a template for the Man United manager to follow.
For more stats from the game, go to Squawka.com
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