The spoils were shared at Anfield on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool and a much-improved Manchester United played out a frantic 2-2 draw.
With the two historic giants going into the contest in drastically different form, most expected a move from Liverpool to Anfield. However, United refused to show any of the incompetence shown against Newcastle as they produced an excellent opening on 45 minutes.
They slowed down the crowd early and quickly settled into the contest. The hosts had their moments with Cody Gakpo going the closest in the opening 30 minutes, but United were a persistent threat down Liverpool’s right and twice pulled one back through Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund. After Amad Diallo missed a good cross from Dalot, Hojlund was denied one-on-one by Alisson.
As a result, both sides went into the break in square.
unitedThe team’s momentum continued in the second half and they got a deserved early goal through an unlikely source. Lisandro Martinez’s header from Bruno Fernandes’ clever backhand pass was sublime, but his advantage lasted only a few minutes. The in-form Gakpo leveled proceedings with an equally brilliant finish after sitting Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt was once again the defensive star as the Reds overturned their deficit from the penalty spot. Michael Oliver didn’t see the Dutchman’s hand raised from Mac Allister’s header, but VAR stepped in to award Liverpool a spot-kick. Mohamed Salah was on hand to finish from 12 yards.
The impressive visitors refused to go away, however, and restored parity to set up a thrilling finish. After entering the back LiverpoolRight again, Amad, one of the standouts under Amorim so far, calmly converted the equaliser.
The final was totally breathless, and either side could have won it at the death. Harry Maguire missed a golden chance with the last kick. In the end, it was just a point for Liverpool, who were unable to capitalize on Arsenal’s draw at Brighton on Saturday.
|
player |
Ratings |
|---|---|
|
GC: Alisson |
5.7/10 |
|
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold |
6.7/10 |
|
CB: Ibrahima Konate |
7.5/10 |
|
CB: Virgil van Dijk |
6.5/10 |
|
LB: Andy Robertson |
6.5/10 |
|
CM: Ryan Gravenberch |
6.9/10 |
|
CM: Alexis McAllister |
7.8/10 |
|
A.M.: Curtis Jones |
6.5/10 |
|
RW: Mohamed Salah |
7.7/10 |
|
ST: Luis Diaz |
6.4/10 |
|
LW: Cody Steele |
7.7/10 |
|
SUB: Darwin Núñez (60′ for DÃaz) |
6.4/10 |
|
SUB: Diogo Jota (60′ for Jones) |
6.1/10 |
|
SUB: Conor Bradley (58′ for Alexander-Arnold) |
6.4/10 |
|
SUB: Harvey Elliott (86′ for Steel) |
6.1/10 |
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (GK), James McConnell, Jayden Danns, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa, Kostas Tsimakas and Jarell Quansah.
|
player |
Valuation |
|---|---|
|
GC: Andrew Onan |
6.7/10 |
|
CB: Matthijs de Ligt |
6.2/10 |
|
CB: Harry Maguire |
7.1/10 |
|
CB: Lisandro Martinez |
8.2/10 |
|
RWB: Noussair Mazraoui |
7.2/10 |
|
CM: Manuel Ugarte |
7.1/10 |
|
CM: Kobbie Mainoo |
6.7/10 |
|
LWB: Diogo Dalot |
7.4/10 |
|
A.M.: Bruno Fernandes |
8.7/10 |
|
A.M.: Amad Diallo |
8.1/10 |
|
ST: Rasmus Hojlund |
6.4/10 |
|
SUB: Alexandre Garnacho (72′ for Mainoo) |
6.0/10 |
|
SUB: Leny Yoro (83′ for De Ligt) |
6.1/10 |
|
SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (87′ for Hojlund) |
6.3/10 |
Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony, Toby Collyer.
