Amad Diallo’s late goal earned Manchester United a deserved point as they defied recent form to draw 2-2 against leaders Liverpool in a thriller at Anfield.
Lisandro Martinez had blasted United into a second-half lead but Cody Gakpo’s leveller was followed by a Mohamed Salah penalty that briefly looked to have earned the victory that would have sent Arne Slot’s side eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
But Amad returned to the house to delight the visitor’s enthusiasts and delivered a result that encouraged Ruben Amorim and put his United about West Ham in 13th place.
Harry Maguire may have even won for visitors in the second dying, but he skip his effort for the crossbar.
Liverpool are still six points ahead with a set-up in hand against Arsenal, but it’s an unconvincing effort to launch 2025, full of mistakes.
“It will feel like an opportunity lost for Liverpool,” said Jamie Carragher on co-commentary for Sky Sports.
Ibrahima Konate’s return suffered a difficult afternoon, but he is nothing compared to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool’s right-back to blame for United’s first game, wasting property and his man, however, that just one detail of an alarming performance. Alexander-Arnold’s unusually lousy picks, his defense a challenge from start to finish.
Reserved late, he hung in favor of Conor Bradley, who made more of his brief stopover in which Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid’s target of movement, had accumulated throughout the match. “Trent’s not in racing,” Carragher said.
Amorim had pointed to the preparation time that United had enjoyed after a hectic festive period. “We have had more time to train, two days in a row. I think that can help us.” That showed in how organised his United team looked from the outset.
Everton won 4-0 at Old Trafford, but it was bigger because United controlled to frustrate Liverpool, preventing them from gaining momentum from the start. Luis Díaz’s shot Alexis Mac Allister saw a first shot put in through André Onana, but that’s it.
United had moments before their purposes. Amad headed in after Diogo Dalot fell behind, while Rasmus Hojlund saw a shot saved through Alisson from the angle. Even Liverpool’s moment of the moment was unfortunate, an opposite handball call on Matthijs de Ligt.
They may even have won and it would hardly have been unfair. Joshua Zirkzee was on the correct channel, choosing to place the globe in Maguire, but the pass was a hesitant walk that the physically powerful central defender controlled to free on the cross -section of Alisson.
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville on Manchester United’s performance:
“It’s a big change. It’s the most productive functionality under Ruben Amorim, if not the entire season, of a mile, to come to Anfield, the league’s most productive team all year round.
“It surpasses the victory at [Manchester] City, they’re in a bad moment, and they were fortunate to get that victory.
“But today they were magnificent, they fully deserved their victory – sorry, it felt like one. There’s no Manchester United fan who woke up and wasn’t expecting the worst.
“[Kobbie] Mainoo, [Manuel] Ugarte and [Bruno] Fernandes controlled the midfield opposite [Ryan] Gravenberch, [Curtis] Jones and Mac Allister, who have been notable all season.
“The defense did well, but it stood out. It was a remarkable performance. “
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim on the press conference:
“I want to see my team play so much better, but I think the most important thing to address today is the mentality. That is the key for everything. Today we were a different team, not because of the system, not because of the technical aspect of the game [or] the tactical aspect of the game.
“We face the competition in the way that we are supposed to face every day. Training and match. It doesn’t matter the place, the opponents, we need to face them every day like that.”
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher on Trent Alexander-Arnold:
“I thought he was really poor. The game couldn’t have gone much worse for him, there was always going to be focus on him.
“I was expecting him to put in a performance he has put in so often where he dominates the game from right-back. He’s a playmaker. I felt Manchester United’s system would play into his hands, there’d be a lot of space to get his head up and put crosses in.
“I imagine he would reflect on the negative that everyone is talking about him and make a great performance. They were deficient in defense, but there was nothing that advanced with the ball.
“Only he knows if the talk affected him, but the fact he was so poor in the first game after Real Madrid put a bid in tells me it must have affected him.”
Liverpool boss Arne Slot did not agree that it would have an effect on Real Madrid affecting Alexander-Arnold:
“I don’t agree with those things, but I think nine out of ten people will tell you that it affected him. But I’m one of the other ten people who tell you that I don’t think it affected him.
“What affected him is that he had to play Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, who are two Portuguese starters, great and great players.
“And we have a player here, Diogo Jota, and he doesn’t even play for Portugal, or at least he doesn’t play. That tells you how much quality United has.
“And if these players set themselves to a game, and that is what United once in a while does, then it’s very difficult to play against them.
“And I think it’s more complicated for Trent to play Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot than [dealing with the rumours that were circulating last week. But that’s my opinion, and everyone will probably tell you what he had to do with the rumors. “