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For Brendan Rodgers, there was a painful sense of deja vu.

There he was cutting a lonely figure on the Old Trafford touchline as the merciless chants of Manchester United fans rained down on him.

There was his Liverpool team on the wrong end of another chastening defeat at the hands of their arch rivals.

However, there was one major difference between this setback and the Reds’ previous failure down the East Lancs Road last December – the absence of hope.

This time there were no crumbs of comfort for Kopites to cling to. There were no signs of promise amidst the wreckage of a damaging defeat. There was also nowhere for Rodgers to hide.

GALLERY: all the pictures from dramatic night at Old Trafford

Liverpool got exactly what they deserved after serving up an error-strewn and largely passionless performance which defied belief considering the occasion.

So much for seeing a spirited response following the debacle against West Ham. All the travelling Kop got was more of the same.

Empty away end a damning verdict on passionless performance

When Rodgers embarked on the lonely walk down the touchline after the final whistle, he stopped to tell his players to go and applaud the away end.

He needn’t have bothered considering just a few hundred of the 3,000 remained. Most had long since given up and headed for home cursing the Reds’ glaring failings.

The optimism generated by Liverpool’s haul of seven points from the opening three games has long since evaporated and Rodgers already finds himself in the eye of a storm.

It’s unthinkable that the owners will reach for the panic button in mid-September. Having given him £80million to invest in the squad this summer and granted permission for him to overhaul his backroom staff, Fenway Sports Group aren’t going to give him the bullet after two defeats.

But there is doubt that support for the manager among the club’s fanbase is waning fast.

That growing sense of unrest is not simply based on recent weeks but also the slide Rodgers oversaw in the spring.

Personnel may have changed but the buck stops with the manager

Many wanted him sacked back in May and nothing so far this term has changed their minds.

Going back to when the rot set in at home to Manchester United in March, Liverpool have won just five out of 16 games in all competitions.

The personnel may have changed greatly with six new signings starting at Old Trafford, but worryingly results haven’t and the buck stops with the manager.

In pre-season Rodgers spoke about taking the club in a “new technical direction” but if this is the future then it’s bleak.

A more conservative approach has resulted in Liverpool scoring just three goals in seven and a half hours of Premier League football this season and one of them should have been ruled out for offside.

Defensively, they look vulnerable and they are failing to function as an attacking unit. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Liverpool only flickered into life after Daley Blind had fired United in front early in the second half.

Following Ander Herrera’s penalty, Christian Benteke’s spectacular strike halved the deficit but debutant Anthony Martial wrapped up the points for the hosts late on.

Rightly lauded for his tactical nous in transforming the Reds’ fortunes last term, Rodgers will rightly be pilloried for his approach against Louis van Gaal’s side.

It was a big day for Danny Ings on his full debut for the club. The former Burnley striker got the nod to replace the suspended Philippe Coutinho but rather than playing with Benteke through the middle he bizarrely found himself stuck out on the left flank.

Benteke left isolated by formation of square pegs in round holes

Why Ings wasn’t partnered with Benteke will remain a mystery. Instead there was a square peg in a round hole.

With Ings and Roberto Firmino playing so deep, Rodgers’ 4-3-3 was effectively 4-5-1 with Benteke horribly isolated.

The opening 45 minutes were woeful. Rarely has a contest between English football’s two heavyweights been so insipid. There was barely a tackle, let alone any goalmouth entertainment.

Rather than being “re-energised” as Rodgers had predicted, Liverpool looked wracked by nerves and devoid of confidence.

They created problems for themselves by repeatedly giving the ball away cheaply.

Simon Mignolet didn’t help matters as his carelessness nearly gifted United the lead inside seven minutes. After completing a simple catch, the Belgian keeper inexplicably rolled the ball out against Juan Mata.

It dropped kindly into the path of Marouane Fellaini but with Mignolet stranded his lofted shot sailed over the bar.

That error set the tone for the Reds’ first-half performance as they handed United the initiative.

The mistakes kept coming with Lucas Leiva particularly wasteful but he wasn’t the only one with James Milner and Emre Can also struggling to stamp their authority on proceedings. There was no composure, no leadership.

Liverpool failed to get any support to big frontman who battled tirelessly

Before the break, United weren’t good enough to take advantage.

As an attacking force, Liverpool rarely threatened. Clyne stabbed a shot wide from the edge of the box but the recalled David de Gea remained untested.

No accusing fingers could be pointed in the direction of Benteke, who worked tirelessly to hold the ball up and bring team-mates into play.

But the big frontman was always heavily outnumbered and Liverpool failed to provide him with sufficient support.

Time after time, the ball was lumped long in his direction but Benteke was left to feed off scraps and it inevitably kept coming back.

The game had to improve and it was United who grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half.

Ashley Young, who replaced Memphis Depay at the interval, was upended by Clyne and from the ensuing free-kick Liverpool were caught napping.

With the Reds expecting the ball to be swung into the six-yard box, Mata played it across the face of the penalty area to Blind, who struck an unstoppable left-footer beyond Mignolet.

Finally, Liverpool awoke from their slumber and showed some ambition and urgency.

Chris Smalling denied Benteke before Ings’ scuffed volley was clawed behind by De Gea.

Momentum was briefly with the Reds. Blind hacked Ings’ effort off the line and then somehow Firmino fluffed his lines at the back post.

Jordon Ibe replaced the ineffective Firmino but with 20 minutes to go Liverpool shot themselves in the foot.

Young Joe Gomez showed his naivety as he rashly slid in on Herrera, who converted the resulting penalty.

Divock Origi made his debut in place of Ings and there was a glimmer of hope in the 84th minute when Benteke unleashed a stunning overhead kick into the top corner.

But it was soon snuffed out as Martial embarrassed Skrtel and slotted home. The away end emptied. They had seen enough.

The number of empty seats by the time Michael Oliver put Liverpool out of their misery was damning.

The damage can still be repaired but for Rodgers the clock is ticking.

MATCH FACTS

Manchester United: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw, Carrick (Schneiderlin 72), Schweinsteiger, Mata (Martial 65), Herrera, Memphis (Young 45), Fellaini

Subs: Romero, McNair, Rojo, Valencia.

Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Gomez, Lucas (Moreno 87), Can, Milner, Firmino (Ibe 65), Ings (Origi 72), Benteke.

Subs: Bogdan, Toure, Sakho, Rossiter

Referee: Michael Oliver

Attendance: 75,347

Goals: Blind 49, Herrera 70, Benteke 84, Martial 86.

Bookings: Clyne, Lovren, Darmian, Milner,

Man of the match: Christian Benteke. Worked tirelessly and scored a spectacular consolation.