Despite a resurgence under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Manchester United are categorically out of the Premier League race. Yet they had a role to play in deciding the title battle as they hosted bitter rivals Liverpool this afternoon at the Old Trafford. The Reds claimed a thumping 3-1 win at Anfield in the reverse fixture but had failed to defeat the Red Devils on the road since 2014.
United had early trouble with injuries which saw them making three substitutions inside the first half. However, they showed great resilience and managed to keep the scoreline goalless after 90 minutes of fierce football.
David De Gea: 6
Had a nervy occasion early on which earned the Reds a free-kick inside the box. But the Spaniard had a relatively easy outing otherwise as he barely had to make saves.
Ashley Young: 7
Despite an early mistake, the versatile Three Lions star played with huge responsibility and determination against Sadio Mane and Andrew Robertson as they failed to threaten enough from the wide areas.
Chris Smalling: 7
Was nervy at times with his clearances. But the inclusion of Daniel Sturridge made the job easy for Smalling due to the former’s lack of mobility and pace high up the pitch. Had a glorious opportunity to score the winner in the dying minutes, however, failed to read Lukaku’s cross and tap it in.
Victor Lindelof: 8
Was outstanding in the heart of United defence. Never allowed Salah to cause problems inside the box and also showed calmness and composure to keep hold of possession and build moves from the back.
Luke Shaw: 7.5
Did not offer much offensively but delivered a towering defensive performance to keep Mohamed Salah quiet. Did well to block James Milner too on quite a few occasions as the versatile veteran failed to deliver crosses into the box due to Shaw’s closedowns.
Ander Herrera: 5.5
Started the game aggressively. Was clumsy with one of his early challenges which gave Liverpool a free-kick just outside the box. But the Spaniard was forced to leave the pitch early with a suspected hamstring injury and got replaced by Andreas Pereira.
Scott McTominay: 7.5
Matic’s injury earned the youngster a start in the middle of the park. Was physical, determined and headstrong with his displays. Stepped up his game following Herrera’s exit and performed well to nullify Liverpool’s moves in midfield.
Paul Pogba: 5.5
The Frenchman was well contained by Jordan Henderson and Fabinho as the duo did not allow him space to cause menace. Had a few attempts from outside the box which, however, were dealt well by the Reds backline.
Marcus Rashford: 5
Had an early knock following his clash with Jordan Henderson. Was limping ever since yet forced to remain on the pitch due to three forced substitutions within the first half.
Juan Mata: 6
Started the game brightly but suffered an ankle injury midway through the first half. Made a crucial block to deny Salah before going down and making way for Jesse Lingard.
Romelu Lukaku: 7
Did not see the ball much in the first half. Was shifted down the right flank after the break to incorporate a struggling Rashford in a central role. The Belgian whipped in a few stunning crosses from the wide and almost found Smalling in the closing minutes as the defender failed to reach the ball and put it into the back of the net.
Substitutes
Andreas Pereira: 6.5
Was energetic and tried his best to break down the visitors’ moves in the centre of the pitch. Was clumsy at times, but made a laudable impact overall.
Jesse Lingard: 6
Was brought in early on in place of injured Mata. But the Englishman was not fit enough to be lined up and went down within minutes after returning from a brief spell of injury. Had the best opportunity of the game though, but got denied by Alisson majestically.
Alexis Sanchez: 6.5
The Chilean was introduced late in the first half in place of the injured Lingard. Failed to provide enough attacking exposure. However, he helped his teammates defensively and exhibited high work ethics to ensure a composure at the back down the left-hand flank.
