14th-place Manchester United went to Anfield experiencing an awful run of form, losing their last five games in all competitions and only scoring four goals in that run. Liverpool’s run of form was the complete opposite, looking to secure their fifth win in a row to take a further lead at the top of the Premier League table.
On paper, it wasn’t a question if Liverpool would beat United — but by how much.
Safe to say, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United team had other ideas.
United not only deservedly earned a draw 2-2 at a stadium they have a terrible record at, but they had a golden chance at the very end of the game to come out 3-2 winners, but Harry Maguire’s last-minute effort blazed over the bar — much to the relief of the Liverpool crowd.
The major narrative surrounding the match was Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Coming into the game, much of the discussion was about him and his heavily rumored move to Real Madrid. They might have had second thoughts if the executives in Madrid were watching the match. The Englishman had a horrible game, giving the ball away for Manchester United’s first goal and demonstrating weak defending for their second.
Matters were made worse because his substitute, Conor Bradley, did more in one minute than Trent did in the entire match. While Trent was on the pitch for 86 minutes, he completed zero crosses, won zero tackles, won zero ground duels, and was arguably at fault for two goals. One minute after Bradley came on for Trent, he won a ground duel. A few minutes later, he incredibly nutmegged United defender Lisandro Martinez and nearly squeezed a shot at the near-post past United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool side are still in pole position to win the Premier League title this season, leading the pack by six points with an extra game in hand. While his team was never at their best yesterday, they still would have won the game had it not been for the brief defensive lapses in concentration.
If serious about their title challenge, they should also be privy to doing business in this January transfer window. Center backs Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate are extremely injury-prone, and fullbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have had poor seasons by their standards. Defensive reinforcements should be considered vital, not a luxury.
For Ruben Amorim, the result was almost perfect. The draw would have undoubtedly felt like a win for United and a loss for Liverpool. Their fans will be more than happy to oversee their bad recent run of form if it means putting a dent in their arch-rival’s title hopes.
