Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association on Monday following his clash with Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.

Skrtel stepped on de Gea's right leg as he challenged aggressively for the ball in the final seconds of stoppage-time during United's 2-1 win at Anfield on Sunday.

The FA said in a statement the incident was not seen by the officials, but was caught on video.

The Slovakia centre-back has until 1800 GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charge.

If he were found guilty Skrtel would face a three-match ban, ruling him out of the Premier League matches against Arsenal and Newcastle and the FA Cup quarter-final replay at Blackburn.

The Reds will already have to cope without Steven Gerrard, who was sent off less than a minute after coming on as a half-time substitute for a stamp on United's Ander Herrera.

The defeat left Liverpool five points behind bitter rivals United in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish in the Premier League.