The old rivals staged a thrilling draw at Anfield
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Amad Diallo equalised late as Manchester United laughed off his recent form to hold Premier League leaders Liverpool in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday.
It looked like Ruben Amorim’s United would go home empty-handed despite a strong performance, but Diallo fired home in the 80th minute to give his team a point.
United had taken the lead in the 52nd minute when Lisandro Martínez fired a powerful shot from a tight angle.
But an off-key Liverpool responded seven minutes later with Cody Gakpo curling home a stunning equaliser before Mohamed Salah put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot.
After Diallo’s equaliser, both teams had chances to win in a frantic finish, but it was the United fans who went home happier. Liverpool have 46 problems in 19 games, six more than Arsenal, while United have climbed to 13th place with 23 problems.
Follow Anfield’s latest reactions on our blog below:
If the measure of a Manchester United player is how he behaves against his fiercest opponents, then Amad Diallo has started under clever auspices. His United career has not yet reached 50 games and, however, he has shown his ability to have the last word against Manchester. City and Liverpool. Last month, a game-changing intervention in a Manchester derby; last March they won in extra time against Liverpool. Here, with United losing at Anfield and heading for a fifth direct defeat, Amad once again gave the impression. On the other hand, United have become the fifth team to deny the league leaders a victory under Arne. Slot.
For a team that rarely came to Anfield as favourites, this is quite a triumph, although it could have been a real win if Harry Maguire hadn’t burst in the 97th minute. “A wonderful opportunity,” Slot admitted.
For Liverpool, perhaps it only represented a minor hiccup on route to the 20th league title that would draw them level with United. Historic foes were tied here, even as a 2-2 means Liverpool’s points tally remains more than double United’s. There was nothing to separate them, and yet they have nothing in common.
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United: Amad Diallo showed once again that he is the man for the big game by leading the visiting team to a well-deserved point at Anfield
Liverpool’s medium-term target has been divided for some time, with the possibility of possibly seeing the club’s three seniors leave on loose transfers this summer lingering off the field.
Before the stopover at Manchester United, this trio inevitably targeted Trent Alexander-Arnold, given Real Madrid’s not-so-subtle interest in signing him.
However, if you ask most Anfield fans, these are the other two they would be most interested in tackling: Virgil van Dijk is the captain, but also the most productive Premier League centre-back in the world. Arguably the most productive player on the soggy park Sunday night, he served as a reminder of why it would be so important to retain him.
A below-par showing from the Reds might not be overly costly this time, but they must not make the same mistakes as the title race intensifies
Roy Keane criticised Trent Alexander-Arnold’s first-half performance at Anfield on Sunday, at the end of a week in which the Liverpool full-back was heavily linked with a Real Madrid move, joking that he might be a better fit for Tranmere. Rovers.
Liverpool insist the 26-year-old, who is out of contract this summer, is not for sale and when the Champions League holders carried out an investigation a few days ago, they immediately rejected him with the message that they had no objective of discussing. he. further.
But the hypothesis has intensified amid reports of a bid from Madrid, adding an unwanted subplot to Liverpool’s clash with rivals Manchester United this weekend.
Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher have been scathing with the Liverpool defender amid reports linking him to a move to Real Madrid.
Manchester United have activated their option to extend Harry Maguire’s contract so that their former captain remains at Old Trafford until 2026.
Head coach Ruben Amorim, who said Amad Diallo is also close to a lengthy deal, said he was pleased to tie Maguire down for another year but called on the centre-back to be more of a leader.
Maguire joined United for £80m in 2019, a world record for a defender, but was stripped of the captaincy by former manager Erik ten Hag in 2023. But he rejoined the team last season, and since Amorim prefers to play in the defensive line, he has started in each of his last 3 games.
Coach Rubén Amorim called Maguire on the field and as a leader
Liverpool have put a £30m price tag on Ben Doak after rejecting offers for the Scotland winger.
Doak has attracted interest from Premier League and European clubs, with Crystal Palace making a £15million bid.
Liverpool have turned down offers out of hand and believe the 19-year-old can play for them in the future.
The inspired Scottish winger is on loan at Middlesbrough and Palace are keen to bring him to Selhurst Park.
This is still one of those moments in which Rubén Amorim tries to create a new future, only for history – and a more problematic offer – to prevail over events.
The Manchester United manager will not use Marcus Rashford for a seventh straight game after the England striker was ruled out on Sunday with illness. There are many doubts about whether Amorim would have played with him anyway, but that prospect weighed on Liverpool’s preparation, as Rashford is a player that even Arne Slot’s most experienced defenders felt some apprehension about. The 27-year-old has scored more goals against Liverpool than any other club, with seven goals, and many of them have been great moments for other managers.
One was the crucial clincher in a 2-1 win that was also Erik ten Hag’s first victory as United manager.
The Portuguese has been looking for a radical revamp to counter a negative cycle, but a daunting arrival at Anfield will test his commitment.
Jurgen Klopp dropped his bombshell, he later revealed, in November 2023. In January 2024, he went public. Liverpool’s search for a manager could begin; not publicly, given their preference for doing their business as quietly as possible, but at least with one layer of secrecy removed.
They were soon informed that Xabi Alonso was contemplating staying at Bayer Leverkusen for another year. For many around the world, Rubén Amorim, of Sporting CP, then assumed the prestige of favorite. This is not the case, Liverpool would say; It is just one of the many topics they investigated. They didn’t like any choice, they insist, until they landed in Arne Slot, in Feyenoord. But he seemed to emerge from the shadows. The standout nature of the Portuguese offering contrasted with the discreet technique adopted through Slot. They entrusted him with the task stealthily, almost without prior notice.
Five months after doing so, Amorim will arrive at Anfield on Sunday; but at the height of Manchester United. An assembly of opposing management teams gave them very different reports at the helm of England’s two biggest clubs. Slot had the easiest start at Liverpool, Amorim the most difficult start at United. Slot has led his team to the top of the Premier League and Champions League. Amorim warned that his new employers were at risk of ending up in the championship. “This club wants a shock,” he said Monday.
The Reds thought about the Portuguese coach and finally opted for the Dutch tactician, who shone as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
Mohamed Salah says he refuses to be distracted by uncertainty over his future as he focuses on an “incredible season” as he aims to win back the Premier League with Liverpool.
The Egypt forward is in the last six months of his contract and said he is still “far away” from agreeing a new deal with the club.
But Salah leads the way in the Premier League for both goals and assists, with 17 and 13, as he has helped Liverpool take a six-point lead.
Speculation abounds about the striker’s long run at Anfield, with his contract expiring this summer.
Arne Slot acknowled he has had conversations with Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the Liverpool right-back the subject of an initial enquiry from Real Madrid heading into the new year.
With the vice-captain out of contract in summer he’s now allowed to discuss terms with overseas clubs for a potential free transfer at the end of the season, though reports suggest the Spanish club could return with an offer to take him to Madrid this month.
That’s despite the Reds rejecting their initial conversations over a deal, amid an intention to continue negotiating over an extension for the England international.
The right-back is a player for the giants of La Liga and his contract expires this summer
Arne Slot has claimed that the saga about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future is helpful to him as it prevents his Liverpool players from being overloaded with praise that could make them complacent.
Real Madrid made a first technical down the right-back this week, which Liverpool rejected before the Champions League champions could even make an offer.
But Alexander-Arnold, along with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, are out of contract this summer and could leave Anfield on a flexible transfer. The 26-year-old has been talking about a pre-contract with foreign clubs since New Year’s Day and Real have made no secret of their interest in him.
The Dutch coach believes that the uncertainty surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s future, with Real Madrid already taking steps, has made the team unhappy after dominating the Premier League and the Champions League.
If the measure of a Manchester United player is how he performs against his fiercest rivals, then Amad Diallo has started under smart auspices. His career at United has not yet reached 50 games and, however, he has demonstrated his ability to have the last word against Manchester. City and Liverpool. Last month, a game-changing intervention in a Manchester derby; Last March they won in extra time against Liverpool. Here, with United losing at Anfield and heading for a fifth straight defeat, Amad made the impression again. Instead, United have become the fifth team to deny the league leaders victory under Arne. Slot.
For a team who have rarely arrived at Anfield as such underdogs, it was a triumph of sorts, though it could have been an actual win had Harry Maguire not blazed over in the 97th minute. “A big chance,” Slot admitted. He nevertheless deemed it “two points dropped”.
For Liverpool, it represented only a minor setback on the way to the league’s No. 20 name that would bring them closer to United. The historic warring sides were the point here, although a 2-2 draw means Liverpool’s overall problems are still more than double United’s. Nothing separates them and yet they have nothing in common.
Liverpool’s medium-term objective has been divided for some time, with the possibility of possibly seeing the club’s senior three leave on single transfers this summer lingering off the pitch.
Ahead of the visit of Machester United, the biggest focus from that trio was inevitably on Trent Alexander-Arnold, given Real Madrid’s not-so-subtle interest in his signature.
However, if you ask the maximum number of Anfield fans, these are the other two they would be most interested in addressing: Virgil van Dijk is the captain, but also the most productive centre-back in the Premier League, perhaps in the world. Arguably the most productive player in the soggy park Sunday night, it’s a reminder of why it’s so important to retain him.
Roy Keane criticized Trent Alexander-Arnold’s first-half performance at Anfield on Sunday, at the end of a week in which the Liverpool full-back was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, joking that he could be more suitable for Tranmere. Rovers.
Liverpool insist the 26-year-old, who is out of contract this summer, is not for sale and when the Champions League holders made an inquiry a few days ago, they immediately dismissed the message that they had no aim in discussing him. further.
But the hypothesis has intensified amid reports of a bid from Madrid, adding an unwanted subplot to Liverpool’s clash with rivals Manchester United this weekend.
Manchester United have triggered their option to extend Harry Maguire’s contract to keep their former captain at Old Trafford until 2026.
Head coach Ruben Amorim, who said Amad Diallo is also close to a long-term deal, said he was content with tying Maguire down for another year but called on the centre-back to be more of a leader.
Maguire joined United for £80m in 2019, a world record for a defender, but was stripped of the captaincy by former manager Erik ten Hag in 2023. But he returned to the team last season and with Amorim who prefers to play With a defense of 3, he has started each of his last 3 games.
Liverpool have put a £30m price tag on Ben Doak after rejecting offers for the Scotland winger.
Doak has attracted European and Premier League clubs, with Crystal Palace reportedly making a £15million bid.
Liverpool have turned down offers out of hand and believe the 19-year-old can play for them in the future.
This is still one of those moments in which Rubén Amorim tries to create a new future, only for history – and a more problematic offer – to prevail over events.
The Manchester United manager won’t use Marcus Rashford for a seventh successive game, after the England forward was ruled out for Sunday due to illness. There was considerable doubt over whether Amorim would have played him anyway but the prospect did weigh over Liverpool’s preparation, since Rashford is one player even Arne Slot’s most experienced defenders had a certain trepidation about. The 27-year-old has scored more times against Liverpool than any other club, with seven goals, and many of those have been big moments for different managers.
One of them was decisive in the 2-1 victory that also marked Erik ten Hag’s first victory as United coach.
Jurgen Klopp dropped his bombshell, he later revealed, in November 2023. In January 2024, he went public. Liverpool’s search for a manager could begin; not publicly, given their preference for doing their business as quietly as possible, but at least with one layer of secrecy removed.
They were soon informed that Xabi Alonso was minded to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for another year. To many in the wider world, Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim assumed a status as the frontrunner after that. Not so, Liverpool would say; he was merely one of several they looked into. There was no preferred choice, they insist, until they alighted on Feyenoord’s Arne Slot. But he seemed to emerge from the shadows. The high-profile nature of the Portuguese’s candidacy contrasted with the low-key approach adopted by Slot. He got the job by stealth, almost without warning.
Five months after he might have done, Amorim will make it to Anfield on Sunday; but in charge of Manchester United. A meeting of managerial opposites has given them very different experiences in charge of England’s two biggest clubs. Slot has had the smoothest of starts at Liverpool, Amorim the rockiest of beginnings at United. Slot has taken his team to the top of the Premier League and Champions League tables. Amorim has warned his new employers are at risk of dropping into the Championship. “This club needs a shock,” he said on Monday.
Mohamed Salah said he refuses to be distracted by uncertainty over his future as he focuses on an “incredible season” as he aims to win back the Premier League with Liverpool.
The Egyptian striker is in the final six months of his contract and has said he is still “a long way off” from reaching a new deal with the club.
But Salah leads the Premier League in goals and assists, with 17 and 13, and helped Liverpool take a six-point lead.
Arne Slot has admitted to having conversations with Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the Liverpool right-back the subject of an initial investigation by Real Madrid ahead of the new year.
With the vice-captain out of contract in summer he’s now allowed to discuss terms with overseas clubs for a potential free transfer at the end of the season, though reports suggest the Spanish club could return with an offer to take him to Madrid this month.
That’s despite the Reds rejecting their initial conversations over a deal, amid an intention to continue negotiating over an extension for the England international.
Arne Slot has said that the saga about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long career is useful to him because it prevents his Liverpool players from being overloaded with praise that could make them complacent.
Real Madrid made a first move for the right back this week, which Liverpool rejected before the Champions League winners could even make an offer.
But Alexander-Arnold, along with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, are out of contract this summer and could leave Anfield on a flexible transfer. The 26-year-old has been talking about a pre-contractual deal with foreign clubs since New Year’s Day and Real have made no secret of their interest in him.
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