Liverpool were frustrated by Manchester United as the hosts failed to make territorial dominance count at Anfield.
Nine months after the 7-0 humiliation suffered by their arch-rivals, United’s performance was far more disciplined, although it included a bit of luck when the hosts failed in front of goal.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate came close to breaking the deadlock from set-pieces, with Trent Alexander-Arnold firing narrowly wide. United relied heavily on counter-attacks, Alisson having to make a clever save from Rasmus Hojlund.
Backups Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo were close late, before Diogo Dalot was ejected for a second offense that could be reserved in the final stages of the game. Here are the main talking points of the game.
It might be harsh to describe Sofyan Amrabat as a rabbit in the headlights in the first few minutes, but there was certainly something shining in his eyes. Liverpool were at their intense best in the game’s opening moments, belying a tendency to often concede first this season and tearing around the pitch in a manner that the Moroccan and co just couldn’t handle.
There were six corners in the first 20 minutes alone, and with United insisting on betting from behind, Liverpool’s urgency only increased the volume, with the Reds heading towards the end of the Kop in the first half as they prefer to do so. If the aforementioned stand vibrated, it certainly set the tone here.
Despite that pressure though, Liverpool were unable to make it count in front of goal in the first 45 minutes, with a lack of fluency in attack costing them on too many occasions when it came to the last pass or finding space for a shot.
Prior to the game, only one of Liverpool’s last nine Premier League goals had been scored through one of their forwards (Mo Salah’s deflected shot at Crystal Palace last week) and with the link up the right between Egypt’s Dominik Szoboszlai and, on rare occasions, Darwin. Although he didn’t run as well as in the previous season, the attacks also lost strength and failed to finish with a quality attempt.
Núñez was also becoming increasingly frustrating as the half wore on, with his tendency to be unnecessarily offside rearing his head after the half, prompting a groan from Jurgen Klopp as he turned to face the rest of the team. your bank. The attacking woes also calmed a hitherto rowdy house crowd, with some of them a bit adrift.
Liverpool’s disruptives in attack were negligible compared to United’s, with Rasmus Hojlund so ignored by his teammates and Antony and Alejandro Garnacho willing but weak on the flanks. In fact, the Brazilian’s liveliest chance in the first half came in the form of a scuffle. with Kostas Tsimikas.
The United striker’s messes have been shown for all to see this season, and while Hojlund has obviously promised, it’s too much to ask him to lead the line with so little help, especially when it seems he’s so easily ignored throughout the game. those who are supposed to help you, and your timing is an example that you also want confidence in your game.
So it was no longer 7-0, although that would probably never be the case, of course. United have never had a bigger invitation to show up at Anfield and be strong, but they still deserve enormous credit for the effort they put in.
There will be question marks surrounding Erik ten Hag’s reign as long as they don’t show anything resembling the attacking ability of United’s previous teams, however, there was preference and willingness to fight for each other, and one wonders what that means. The suspended club did so.
TNT Sports gives you access to matches from the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Serie A, and many more. You can also watch the biggest matchups in boxing, UFC, WWE and get exclusive MLB action, all for a month’s pay. You can watch TNT Sports via BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
If we take everything away from the nature of the competition, there are only two name issues lost through a Liverpool team that hasn’t played well for a couple of weeks.
The Reds were disjointed and looked insecure as they tried to defeat their hosts. After seeing Manchester City go through trouble on Saturday, it was a wasted opportunity.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Receive the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the most sensational headlines of the day and forward the news straight to your inbox