Manchester United nullified the returning Luis Suarez and began atoning for their derby drubbing by Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the League Cup on Wednesday.
Manager David Moyes made a raft of changes to the team trounced 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and saw his side prevail in the third-round tie at Old Trafford through a 46th-minute strike from Javier Hernandez.
Suarez made his Liverpool return following a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, and he came close to snatching an equaliser with a free-kick that struck the crossbar. United survived, however, to avenge their Premier League defeat at Anfield on September 1 and provide a measure of solace for Moyes after his stewardship came under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the loss to City.
‘It was a big game for us,’ said Moyes, whose side will play Norwich City at home in the fourth round. ‘We’d lost at Anfield a few weeks ago, we lost at the Etihad last week, so we wanted to put that right.’
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said: ‘I can have no complaints. One lapse of concentration has cost us. ‘I thought Luis Suarez was excellent. You could tell he’d been out for a long time as he tired at the end, but he’s obviously a threat.’