Liverpool were frustrated by Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United at Anfield on Monday. The high-flying Reds were held by the stubborn defence of the Red Devils. Mourinho did what he does best as he setup his defence with perfection to stop Jürgen Klopp’s side from gracing their magic on the pitch.
In fact, Manchester United were the better of the two teams in the first 20 minutes before Liverpool slowly started stamping their authority in the game only to be disappointed by the brilliant defending from Mourinho’s side.
Liverpool started in their natural 4-3-3 formation but they were seemingly missing the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana in the middle of the park. Emre Can started his first game this season in the Premier League and his lack of sharpness was visible in some heavy touches in the early stages of the game. Liverpool improved drastically after the introduction of Adam Lallana off the bench for Daniel Sturridge who looked isolated and off-colour during the course of the game.
Klopp will be disappointed with just one point from the game despite having 65% possession of the ball and completing 505 passes compared to United’s 257. Mourinho will be happy with one point from a venue like Anfield.
Here are the player ratings for Liverpool from the game.
Loris Karius: 5.5/10
Had a few Mignolet-esque moments. Looked nervous and played too many risky short passes to his defenders. Gave the ball away to opponents once inside the box but thankfully for him, Ibrahimović was off-side.
Nathaniel Clyne: 6/10
Had an off-game as he struggled to make his way past Young and Bind. Mourinho played a masterstroke by playing Young on Clyne’s flank due to his defensive work rate.
Joel Matip: 7.5/10
Dealt with the aerial prowess of Ibrahimović really well. Passing was brilliant from the Cameroonian. Had 88.6% passing success and played 10 long balls.
Dejan Lovren: 7.5/10
Was never really bothered about the Manchester United attack. Brilliant passing from the Croat. Played as many as 15 long passes and had a 87% passing accuracy.
James Milner: 6.5/10
Did not have much joy attacking wise. Rashford gave him problems in defence but did enough to deal with it.
Jordan Henderson: 7/10
Had a composed display in the middle of the park. The skipper was tidy in possession and did really well defensively too. Played a number of good long balls, trying to switch play.
Emre Can: 7/10
Struggled in the early minutes of the game but improved with time. Tested De Gea with a good placement but the Spaniard could not be beaten.
Philippe Coutinho: 8/10
Was easily the best player on the pitch for Liverpool. Always tried to make something happen. Had a trademark Coutinho shot but De Gea matched it pulling out a stunning save which even Klopp had to applaud.
Sadio Mane: 5/10
It was shocking to see him completing 90 minutes on the pitch. Was poor throughout the game. Rarely caused trouble with his pace due to United’s deep defensive line. United defenders dealt with him really well.
Daniel Sturridge: 4/10
Had zero impact on the game. Heavy touches, poor control and dismal positioning was the highlights of his game. No wonder he was withdrawn early.
Substitutes
Adam Lallana: 7/10
Brought life in midfield as Liverpool improved as an attacking unit.
Divock Origi: NA
Alberto Moreno: NA
