The shots just kept on coming. On the surface, as the game kicked off it looked like a blank canvas where unconventional styles and shapes can come together in a heated battle. In the end it turned out to be a wide-open game full of moments of individual brilliance and incompetence. The Premier League has a lot of things going for it. Tactical versatility is not one of them. So when two traditional powerhouses in Manchester United and Liverpool faced off on Sunday, each starting with back threes, the potential was there for a real classic. We should have known better. Dont misunderstand me. This was a very entertaining match but at the end of it there was much more to pick apart than to admire. It is easy for fans of Manchester United to be very content as another weekend of Premier League action is put to bed. Six straight wins have pushed them comfortably into the top three and thats a position they could hold for the majority of the time between now and the end of May. Their recent memories are still full of nightmare images for such an iconic club and in the buildup to this one they were rehashed aplenty with many showing Liverpools 3-0 thumping of them at Old Trafford last term. An immediate turnaround of that score certainly sent them home from Old Trafford on Sunday very happy, but Louis Van Gaal will know there is still a lot of work to be done. The final score tells a story and we can forgive United fans for only wanting to know about that story right now but more telling was that goalkeeper David De Gea was named man of the match in a game his team won 3-0. The 24-year-old has easily been the teams best player this season and it is clear that Ed Woodward and the upper management feel it is very important to get the Spaniard a new contract as soon as possible. De Gea has made some wonderful saves this season, yet the one on Mario Balotelli in the second half may have been even better than his effort against Evertons Bryan Oviedo earlier this season. It is no coincidence that De Geas form has escalated at a time when the defence in front of him has been shaky. Van Gaal insistence on a back three, with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, for now, as wing backs has excited neutrals but has ensured the goalkeeper his busiest time since he came to Manchester. De Gea excels at shot stopping, stands tall and never allows his body to react early. The save against Balotelli was a perfect example of this as Sterling made a vertical run across the defence to get in behind but after he was denied, De Gea saw Balotelli open in the box and looked at him before Sterling passed the ball. His awareness was better than any of his defenders and the moment the Italian forward steadied himself to shoot the goalkeeper moved his foot to prepare to dive across goal. He had done something similar earlier in the half after Jonny Evans turned and hit a misplaced back pass towards the penalty box. Sterling ran on to it, intercepted it and was free on goal, but the moment he touched it, De Gea had sprinted out and was only three yards from the young forward. It was then that he stood still, waited for Sterling to make the move and reacted to deny him. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers can be accused of some hyperbole about his team in his post match assessments this season and there is nothing wrong with publicly backing your players that way but after this one he didnt have to extend the truth at all. We created enough chances. We looked like scoring and we had enough chances to get something from the game, Rodgers said afterwards. Its unusual for a manager to say that when his team have been beaten by three goals but this is what is happening to teams that are playing United at the moment. All three of their wins this month – against Stoke, Southampton and Liverpool – has seen the opposition get many chances to score. That they didnt speaks, in part, to the evolution of De Gea into a true match winner but it should not necessarily speak to the true development of United. There is an undoubted belief about them this season that was lacking last year under David Moyes. A belief that gets them through awkward moments of matches that are not going their way and having such superb finishers in their team has also allowed them to score their way out of trouble also. However, United will still puzzle a perfectionist like Van Gaal. It is right to look at the long list of injuries and wonder if they could be better with some of them back but not one of them looks like the kind of player who could come in and bring an assurance and a presence the team needs to completely control matches. Beating a despised rival like Liverpool is another feather in the cap for the Dutchman but he will know just how poor the Reds are at the moment and how, at times, his team made them look more like the team from last season. This is the ultimate challenge for the manager going forward. Just how good are Uniteds opponents to present a severe test of their qualities? United will play many more games this season against teams far worse than Liverpool and will continue to pick up three points regularly. After all, even under Moyes for most of last season, they won 18 of 26 games against teams not in the top seven of the table. Eleven of their next 13 league fixtures, in the next three months, include such opponents and the other two are against an inconsistent Tottenham team, giving them plenty of opportunities to pick up points while not playing anywhere close to a level Van Gaal and Manchester United expect. It is easy to look at a league table and decide by a teams position whether or not they are having a good season but it is moments, in games that provides the evidence on whether or not a team and players are progressing. United desperately need to finish in the top four this season to regain a place at the lucrative top table of European football, in the Champions League, but based on the standard of quality from many teams in the league this should be a very easy target for them to hit. United need more than just that. In April they face three of the most difficult games you can get in a Premier League campaign with a home derby clash against Man City along with away games at Chelsea and Everton. A glance at the league table at that time will show us that United will be more than on their way to get Champions League football next season, but their performances in those matches will tell us just how far away they really are from getting anywhere close to what they ultimately should be. Chelsea and Manchester City have played a big part in the gap widening between them and the rest of the league but the others are culpable as well, treading water surrounded by mediocrity that isnt close to the standard delivered by the leagues top two. For United to get closer to the upper echelon they need to start dominating matches in more ways than just the scoreline. Comprar Adidas NMD Baratas . -- Valentin Zykov scored in overtime as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar rallied to a 3-2 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Sunday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Adidas NMD Comprar Online .com) - Richard Shermans two interceptions highlighted a dominant defensive effort, as the Seattle Seahawks routed the San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated NFC West Thanksgiving clash. http://www.adidasnmdbaratas.es/. The third-ranked Lewis, a three-time winner this year on the LPGA Tour, had a 9-under 135 total at Emirates Golf Course in the Ladies European Tours season-ending tournament. Adidas NMD Rebajas ." Bach is in Rome for the European Olympic Committees general assembly and meetings with Pope Francis. He also visited with Italian Premier Enrico Letta. "The prime minister appeared to be interested in a bid from Italy for 24, because he has realized that the games can serve as a catalyst for development for a city and a country," Bach told The Associated Press on Saturday. Adidas NMD Originales Baratas . Got Jacks? Pulling off a comeback for the ages, feisty Stephen F. Austin became the latest No. 12 seed to pull off an upset, tying the game on Desmond Haymons did-that-just-happen four-point play with 3.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The NFL issued a statement Friday regarding its investigation into allegations the New England Patriots used underinflated balls during the AFC Championship Game and said the early evidence supports the initial conclusion but that the process is ongoing. The Patriots rolled to a 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday in a rain-soaked game at Gillette Stadium and reports began to surface in the hours after the contest that balls were not correctly inflated, which would apparently allow for a better grip in inclement weather. Citing league sources, ESPN.com reported Tuesday night that 11 of the 12 balls used by the Patriots during the game were underinflated by two pounds of air pressure per square inch (PSI). NFL rules mandate game balls, which are inspected by the referee, be inflated to 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 PSI. The playing rules are intended to protect the fairness and integrity of our games, the league said in its statement Friday. We take seriously claims that those rules have been violated and will fully investigate this matter without compromise or delay. The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence. While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were underinflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playying rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action.dddddddddddd. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence. The league said Friday the investigation is being led jointly by NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash and Ted Wells of the law firm of Paul Weiss. Wells was the leagues investigator into last seasons bullying scandal involving the Miami Dolphins. According to the statement Friday, the league began its investigation Sunday night and has already conducted nearly 40 interviews. Game officials and Patriots personnel were among those included in those early discussions, although New England quarterback Tom Brady said Thursday he had not yet been contacted. On Thursday, both Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the situation and each denied any wrongdoing. Belichick was first to speak on Thursday morning and said he was completely and totally unaware of the issue, adding he was shocked to hear the reports on Monday morning. Brady on Thursday afternoon said he didnt alter the balls in any way and would never break the rules. The Patriots, who will play Seattle in the Super Bowl, have pledged their full support of the investigation and have made personnel, as well as other information, available to the league. If the NFL finds the Patriots deflated footballs intentionally, they could be subject to penalties similar to ones levied after the team was found to have videotaped defensive signals used by the New York Jets during a game in September 2007. Those penalties included a $500,000 fine for Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a draft pick. ' ' '