Manchester united forward Wayne Rooney has called for an improved performance in their mid-week League cup game against Liverpool after the defeat at the hands of Manchester City over the weekend.
United were outplayed by their cross-town rivals, eventually losing 4-1. The one consolation for United was Rooney's sensational free kick towards the end of the game.
"It is not good enough," Rooney was quoted as saying by Daily Mail. "We know we have to improve on that and stop giving these sloppy goals away and try to capitalise on some of our good play, which I thought there was even if it was too late in the game."
Manchester United's best spell of possession and chance creation came towards the end of the game, after they were already 4-0 down. It was during this period that Rooney scored the free kick.
"Fair enough, City deserved the victory," he continued. "We gave sloppy goals away. As I said before, it is not good enough."
On Wednesday, they face Liverpool, a side which they have already lost to in the Premier League this season. Rooney hopes United can make up for the City result in the game against Liverpool.
"It is nice to score but it means nothing," Rooney explained. "It is a bad day for us but we have another big game against Liverpool on Wednesday. We will forget about this now and try to move on in that one. It is the ideal game. Any game against Liverpool is a big game, whether it is a friendly or Capital One Cup or Premier League. It is still massive."
Wednesday's game is a must watch for several reasons. Firstly, David Moyes in under severe pressure to get results after the City defeat. Furthermore, United players will be looking to bounce back after a result that was, in all honesty, embarrassing. On the Liverpool side, Luis Suarez makes his long awaited return after suspension. The Uruguayan striker having to play Manchester United on his return almost seems destined, as the Patrice Evra (United left back) racism incident was the first main controversy of his career in England. Lastly, considering the clubs are the two most successful in English football and share a rivalry that spans decades, the atmosphere generated from passionate fans will be irrepressible.
