Controversial striker Luis Suarez featured for Liverpool for the first time in 157 days, but his presence could do little to stop David Moyes’s team exacting revenge on their fierce rivals for an early season loss at Anfield.

Moyes has overseen United’s worst start to a season in nine years and he will be relieved that his much-changed team bounced back from a weekend derby defeat against Manchester City to claim their place in the next round of the League Cup.

For the second time in a week, slack marking at set-pieces cost Liverpool dear as Javier Hernandez put United ahead with a smart finish from Wayne Rooney’s corner straight after half-time. The result means that the Red Devils have won their last six games against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Despite the result, United struggled to impose themselves on the game and Liverpool dominated for long periods. The returning Suarez was impressive as he carved out numerous chances for his teammates and went agonisingly close to equalising with a blistering free-kick that struck the crossbar.

The game opened up as Liverpool searched for an equaliser with both teams going close. Wayne Rooney looked somewhere near his swashbuckling best as he went close with a dipping volley that went narrowly over before drawing an agile save from the impressive Simon Mignolet from another free-kick.

At the other end, Victor Moses drew a great save from David de Gea from a diving header after a lovely passing move and Jordan Henderson rattled de Gea’s crossbar with a late effort. But in the end, the Reds couldn’t find their way past a resilient United with Chris Smalling in particularly impressive form with a series of superb blocks and challenges.

After an promising start to the season, Brendan Rodgers’s men are now without a win in their last three games. However, the Liverpool manager will be buoyed by the return of Suarez and encouraged by his new look 3-5-2 formation which maximises the talents of the marauding Jose Enrique and the energetic Henderson.

Both wing-backs caused United numerous problems as they repeatedly found space behind their static midfield and it will be interesting — now that Rodgers has a surfeit of talent in central defence — whether he employs the formation on a regular basis.