Touted as the biggest match of the season till now, the clash boiled down to calculated risk with both the sides being too careful. Disciplined defending and passing summed up the goalless draw ay Anfield, who missed another chance to move up the table
De Gea (9/ 10)
United’s best player on the pitch on Monday by quite a margin, though the Spaniard was hardly tested in the first half, if not not for his stunning saves from Can and Coutinho’s shots, we would be looking at a different result altogether.
Antonio Valencia (7/10)
Although he looked shaky at the back and even gave up a lot of possession on some occasions, that tackle against Firmino was world-class. He completed a decent 4 out of 6 take-ups on successfully and was also assuring in the final third with 12 successful passes out of 16 attempted.
Bailly (7.5/10)
Portrayed an assured display at the back with safe and disciplined defending. He was up to the mark in the second half when Liverpool actually started pressing. Rightfully Mourinho’s man. Attempted 2 tackles and made sure they were successful. 6 interceptions standing in the central defence and 7 clearances show how composed he was in his position.
Smalling (8/10)
Easily the leader in the field on Monday, Smalling kept his calm throughout the game intercepting almost every attack coming towards United D-box. With a decent 13 clearances in the full game and winning 3 successful aerial duels, Smalling was a rock.
Blind (5.5/10)
Blind was deployed with the difficult task of covering Mane down the left, which he looked to be doing decently in the initial moments, but then he let few slip ups that could have cost United the match.
Fellaini (6.5/10)
Fellaini’s height was a big concern for Klopp as he had stated before the match and Mourinho didn’t make it any easier for him during the match. In the midfield, Fellaini’s physical presence bode well with eliminating most of the dangers. Fellaini won 6 aerial duels of the 6 he attempted.
Herrera (8/10)
Assuring performance by the Spaniard, who rose up the field when needed and dropped down in defence. Besides, Mourinho’s tactics didn’t seem to win the game anyway. Herrera produced 11 interceptions throughout the game, the most among both the teams.
Young (7/ 10)
Definitely a surprising starter in Mourinho’s lineup, his choice made quite clear that Mourinho wanted to defend more than attack. Young didn’t take any risks as he was asked to by his coach and kept a balanced performance.
Pogba
Mourinho gave his richest player a more attacking role on Monday. However, Pogba still seems to be struggling in the Premier league. No influence on the match as his transfer fee promised. He, however, contributed in the aerial duels winning 7 out of 11 attempts.
Rashford (7.5/10)
Looked the only player in the United side, who was any sort of a threat to Liverpool. Barring his bad tackle on Milner at the beginning, he was pretty much composed throughout the match.
Ibrahimovic (5.5/ 10)
A very below par performance from a player of such potential, Zlatan remained at the end point of all Mourinho’s strategy, yet the marksman failed to take the chances thrown towards him throughout the game.
