LIVERPOOL, England: There was a red card, a cloud of red mist and plenty of crimson faces, but it was ultimately one cool Dutch head that proved the difference in Manchester United's 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Not only did Louis van Gaal comfortably win the tactical battle with Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers, but the iron-willed United coach ensured his players kept their heads as Liverpool lost theirs.

The match will be remembered for Steven Gerrard's 38-second cameo that ended abruptly when he was sent off for a stamp on Ander Herrera as well as Juan Mata's match-winning double strike.

Yet the plaudits belong equally with Van Gaal for out-thinking his Liverpool counterpart.

While all the pre-match debate centred on Rodgers' 3-4-3 formation, a perceived cure-all that had healed Liverpool's ills from the first half of the season, it was arch-pragmatist Van Gaal who threw all the tactical punches on the day.

United may have scored two goals fewer than they did in the first half against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend but the opening 45 minutes at Anfield was arguably the visitors' best of the campaign.

For all the gripes Van Gaal has had to face about how far short his United side have fallen from the club's quasi-mythical traditions of expansive football, his team's performance on Sunday was not far short of perfect.

This was not the efficient but ugly early-season United but a performance crafted from possession football, with Liverpool chasing shadows for extensive periods and Mata pouncing on openings to score with two expert finishes.

Mata has had to endure his own fair share of criticism since his move from Chelsea but he proved an unfathomable puzzle for Liverpool's defence throughout the encounter.

The Spaniard gave United the lead after 14 minutes, exposing a chasm of space between centre back Mamadou Sakho and wingback Alberto Moreno to finish sharply.

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Analysis - Van Gaal's tactical wits edge battle of the bosses