Jurgen Klopp remains winless against Manchester United in the Premier League as a manager of Liverpool as Jose Mourinho pulled out a rabbit from his hat and stole all three points away from the Reds’ trip to Old Trafford. Romelu Lukaku got the better of Dejan Lovren on a couple of occasions in the first half and Marcus Rashford was at the end of both the flick-ons, as he scored a 10-minute brace that was enough for their win.
Eric Bailly’s own goal in the second half set up a tense finish as referee Craig Pawson waved away a number of penalty appeals that saw the game end in a 2-1 scoreline. United now managed to open up a five-point gap over Liverpool, who remain in the 3rd place in the points table and here are the player ratings for the Reds in this tie:
Loris Karius (6):
Had very little do all game and could hardly have done much to stop either of Rashford’s goals.
Trent Alexandre-Arnold (4):
One of his very few bad performances for the Reds, where he was often caught out of position against Rashford and was at fault for both the goals.
Dejan Lovren (4):
Lost the aerial battle with Lukaku and was generally rattled, making a rash decision all through the game.
Virgil van Dijk (6):
Won everything thrown at him by United but could do enough to help his side to even a point.
Andrew Robertson (5):
Not his usual self as he failed to assert himself at either end of the field.
Emre Can (6):
Put in a solid shift in the midfield, winning the ball back a number of times but failed to do much with it for most game.
James Milner (4):
Left Can on his own at the back and was not as energetic as he usually his.
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (5):
A horrid first half that could have changed had he not been subbed off at the hour mark, just as he looked to grow in confidence.
Mohamed Salah (4):
Failed to get into the game as he was pocketed by Young and Smalling, who gave him no space or time on the ball.
Roberto Firmino (6):
Liverpool’s best attacker on the night, Firmino though did not test De Gea, was influential in the few chances that the visitors created on the day.
Sadio Mane (4):
Saw a lot of the ball for most of the game but did very little with it. His cross led to Bailly’s own goal but just did not do enough to affect the result.
Substitutes:
Adam Lallana (5):
Added some creativity to the midfield but not enough to sneak in a point.
Georginio Wijnaldum (N/A)
Dominic Solanke (N/A)
