Anfield provided the setting for the biggest game of the weekend and one of the biggest rivalries in world football. Liverpool vs Manchester United has provided some mesmerising encounters and heated clashes in the past and this game wasn’t destined to buck that trend. Both teams were looking for a win, even just for the bragging rights, but this was a game that had implications for the title race, even this early in the season.
An electric start couldn’t break the deadlock
It was the home side who came out and dominated possession in the opening minutes and Manchester United appeared to have set up relatively defensively, perhaps acknowledging Liverpool’s tendency to start games quickly. However the game quickly became end-to-end with both sides creating half-chances in the first ten minutes. The tempo was electric right from the beginning and the crowd were in good voice for this crucial fixture.
Once the game began to settle Liverpool once again started to dominate possession. Wijnaldum had the home side’s best chance of the game but the Dutch international hit his shot straight at De Gea. Romelu Lukaku cut an isolated figure up front for United as they struggled to put together any extended passing moves. By contrast Mohamed Salah was involved in every Liverpool attack and terrorised the United defenders in the opening 20 minutes.
De Gea saves United’s skin
To their credit Manchester United did a good job of preventing Liverpool’s pacey front three from finding space to run into and the visitors started to create some chances of their own. Ashley Young experienced some success down the right hand side and Nemanja Matic almost profited from one of the winger’s crosses, blasting his shot over the bar.
However it was Joel Matip who had the best chance of the half after a corner. A Firmino cross fell to the centre half about three yards from goal but David De Gea made a sensational reflex save to deny Liverpool an opener. The resultant rebound fell to Salah but the winger fired just wide and United hung on. As the visitors soaked up the pressure it was Lukaku who had the last chance of the half. The Belgian brushed off several defenders but in the end his shot stung the palms of Mignolet in the Liverpool goal and score remained level at the break.
More toothless Liverpool dominance
It was more of the same to start the second half as Liverpool had the majority of the ball once again but the home side looked more threatening as they attacked the Kop end. Coutinho, who had been dropping back into midfield a lot in the first half, was more influential in the second period. The Brazilian started to really pull the strings in the spaces in front of United’s back four as Liverpool pushed to find an opening goal. Emre Can really should have provided that goal after a teasing cross but the German midfielder couldn’t sort out his feet and hooked his shot over the bar.
A few minutes later Coutinho had a penalty appeal turned down after a clumsy challenge from Ander Herrera, and the incident only seemed to add fuel to Liverpool’s attacks. Jose Mourinho seemed to sense this increase in tempo and decided to introduce Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford in an attempt to swing the game in United’s favour. However the changes did little to end the home side’s dominance and Lukaku remained isolated up front. At the other end Salah had a great chance to break the deadlock but Firmino’s cross flew just over the Egytpian’s head.
A disappointing end
As the players began to tire the tempo of the game dropped and it looked as if Liverpool might struggle to find a goal despite their best efforts for 75 minutes. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Daniel Sturridge came on to inject some energy back into the home side’s attacks and their arrival immediately lifted the crowd.
However wave after wave of Liverpool attack was broken up by Manchester United and the home side simply lacked the penetration to punish Mourinho’s side who sat deep whenever Liverpool were in possession. The intensity of the play dropped in the final minutes and the game ran out as a disappointing draw. The crowd voiced their disapproval towards Jose Mourinho’s tactics but once again Liverpool looked blunt in attack against a solid defensive side.
Final Thoughts
In a game that promised so much excitement there was very little to shout about. Manchester United sat deep for much of the game and seemed content with a draw even in the first half. It was a disciplined performance from the Manchester club but Liverpool again had chances that they didn’t take, which is becoming a major problem for them this season.
In truth this was two points dropped for both sides and with the form of Manchester City this result could come back to haunt Jose Mourinho later in the season.
Match Report
Liverpool: Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Can; Salah (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 78’), Coutinho (Sturridge, 79’), Firmino (Solanke, 87’)
Manchester United: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Darmian; Young (Lindelof, 90 + 3), Matic, Herrera; Martial (Rashford, 65’), Mkhitaryan (Lingard, 63’), Lukaku
Goals: None
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Yellow Cards: Smalling (74’), Young (87’)
Red Cards: None
Player Ratings
Liverpool: Mignolet 7; Gomez 8, Matip 7, Lovren 7, Moreno 7; Wijnaldum 7, Henderson 6, Can 7; Salah 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 6), Coutinho 7 (Sturridge 6), Firmino 7 (Solanke n/a)
Manchester United: De Gea 8; Valencia 6, Smalling 6, Jones 6, Darmian 5; Young 7 (Lindelof n/a), Matic 6, Herrera 7; Martial 6 (Rashford 6), Mkhitaryan 6 (Lingard 6), Lukaku 5
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