Stalemate At Anfield

Pre-match, I refrained from looking at social media and managed to squeeze in two hours of sleep. Liverpool-Manchester United matches have always been matches that are keenly and intensely felt. A defeat will deflate you for days while a victory will see one float in the clouds. Such is the following both these clubs enjoy miles away from their native lands that the rivalry is as intense here as it is there. Not to forget the banter the losing side has to suffer from the opposing fans at work, in school or social media in the days to come.

Pessimism Approaching The Match

I was afraid of our chances going into this match because Liverpool are the top dogs now. They have been enjoying great success for the last two years, playing well and winning major trophies. More than their obvious quality, I was afraid of the bad karma we were attracting from our delirious support after going top in midweek. I predicted a draw or a Liverpool win. The other reason for my pessimism is our poor record in big matches this season. We have been very cautious and not played particularly well in our big matches in England, a contrast to how we performed in these matches last season.

No Surprise In Selection & Tactics

I always felt that if we were to win at Anfield for the first time since 2016, we needed to get our selection and tactics right. I was not surprised by the choices made by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer in both regards. I felt he would plump for Victor Lindelof over the in-form Eric Bailly in central defence and go with a diamond midfield with Fred and Scott McTominay sitting in front of the defence. This was the go-to formation and selection in big matches. It’s effective in keeping out the opponents but not great going forward. I am a fan of Bailly in centre defence and his recent performances didn’t warrant his omission.

First Half Bossed By Liverpool

Liverpool pressed aggressively and bossed the game from the start. They looked like a team with superior technical quality keeping the ball well, passing it with confidence and zip and showing good control. We, on the other hand, looked like an average mid-table team that were hanging on for our dear lives in Anfield. However, for all of Liverpool’s dominance in play, David De Gea was hardly troubled. We lacked composure on the ball and when on the ball, we looked like we had no idea what to do with it. We had players that were driving forward with the ball with no plan what to do with it. We kept getting caught offside as we tried springing their offside trap. However, for all the disjointed play, I thought we took the lead when Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick went just wide.

Best Chances For United

We were a lot better in possession in the second half and did fashion out two of the best chances in the game both well-saved by Alisson. It would come as a surprise to many but we actually ended the match with more shots on goal than Liverpool. De Gea was also stretched once in the second half to keep out a Thiago Alcantara shot.

Best Performers: Defensive Players

After a performance and result like this, our defensive players were inevitably the best performers. Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan Bissaka were immense in keeping out Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane respectively. Lindelof justified his selection with a big performance. McTominay and Fred put in a typically industrious shift, plugging the gaps well but the latter especially was loose in possession. I cast my mind back to Sir Alex’s later years and how he would use Darren Fletcher and/or Park Ji Sung in big matches. Both players were selected for their industry but neither can be accused of not being able to keep hold of the ball and passing it well. In those days, we had Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick alongside them, players good at retaining possession and the incisiveness to pick a pass. My frustration is on why we can’t play one of the two with someone better at keeping the ball and passing.

Room For Improvement In Attack

It’s heartening to note in the post-match comments that Solksjaer pointed out areas we got to improve going forward. Paul Pogba was utilised very well on the right side of midfield but was left exposed defensively on that side. Bruno Fernandes was ineffectual, spending most of his energy tracking back defensively. In attack, it looked disjointed and we couldn’t get the best out of him. Edinson Cavani was brought on quite early in the game but I was hoping he came on in place for one of the defensive midfielders but instead it was a straight swap with Anthony Martial. If we are to improve, I feel must release the shackles a bit in these big matches.