A battle between the two clubs in the history of English football is always going to sound pretty exciting, and as such, fans are going to have some pretty high expectations for the end product. Unfortunately football doesn’t exactly play by the rules of the fans, and often we’re left with disappointing encounters when we’re expecting something much more. That was certainly the case earlier today, as Manchester United and Liverpool drew 0-0 at Old Trafford.
A let down
Fans were probably anticipating a feisty affair of some description, but even so, United picking up three injuries within a 25 minute period probably wasn’t a prediction most would’ve made. This included Jesse Lingard who was actually brought on as a substitute, only to be replaced after getting his own injury.
Neither side was able to really get into any kind of rhythm in the first 45 minutes, although the atmosphere in Manchester was still pretty intense – as you’d expect for a game of this magnitude. Alas, that doesn’t mean much if you can’t translate it into good play on the pitch, and at times it certainly seemed like United were happy enough sitting back in order to prevent Liverpool from edging ahead.
Good, but not quite good enough
Alisson made a good stop opposite Lingard who had the best chance of the game, but aside from that, there wasn’t all too much to scream and shout about. The game fizzled out in the second half as both teams seemed to come to terms with the idea of a point, although Liverpool always seemed to be the ones who were pushing just that little bit more.
Arsenal are now in fourth after their win earlier on against Southampton, with United slipping just behind them. Liverpool are top of the Premier League table once again but their lead over Manchester City is now only one point, and things won’t get much easier for them as they prepare to host Watford before travelling to face bitter rivals Everton at Goodison Park. Manchester United will travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday before hosting Southampton.
Match Report
Manchester United: De Gea (6.5), Shaw (7.5), Lindelof (7.5), Smalling (6.5), Young (7), Pogba (7), McTominay (7), Herrera (6.5), Mata (6.5), Rashford (6.5), Lukaku (7), Lingard (6), Sanchez (6.5), Pereira (6.5)
Liverpool: Alisson (7.5), Milner (6.5), Matip (7), van Dijk (7.5), Robertson (7), Henderson (7), Fabinho (7), Wijnaldum (7.5), Salah (6), Firmino (6), Mane (6.5), Sturridge (6.5), Shaqiri (6), Origi (6)
Referee: Michael Oliver
Goals: N/A
Yellow Cards: Young, Milner, Shaqiri, Wijnaldum
Red Cards: N/A
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