In a gripping Premier League match, Manchester United managed to hold Liverpool to a 2-2 draw, potentially jeopardising their title ambitions. Seeing as Liverpool are the first to stumble in the tight top three race also featuring Arsenal and Manchester City, Manchester United will certainly be pleased to have caused Liverpool’s slip.
On checking the Premier League standings, Jurgen Klopp’s squad is now positioned second, level with the Gunners but trailing due to a weaker goal difference, with just a one-point lead ahead of the City. Each team has seven matches yet to play. The draw was a fair outcome in consideration of the resilience displayed by United in the concluding half – nonetheless, this outcome might be regretted by Klopp’s men as they allowed Erik ten Hag’s inconsistent side to snatch two potentially critical points.
The match really started to heat up from the 67th minute onward, with Kobbie Mainoo contributing a memorable goal for United that will be etched in the chronicles of this enduring rivalry. The prodigy expertly managed to outfox two Liverpool opponents before netting from the right side of their box.
However, in a possibly costly moment of recklessness, Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s rash challenge on Curtis Jones resulted in an obvious penalty. Despite not having been in his best form for the game, Mohamed Salah managed to outwit United’s keeper, Andre Onana, to balance the scoreline for Liverpool.
Despite thoroughly dominating the first half, Liverpool only had a single goal lead when it ended. Luis Diaz’s sneaky far-post goal from Andy Robertson’s corner ensured that the Reds were ahead before the break.
Believing in his initial line up, Ten Hag chose not to make any changes at half time and reaped the benefits. A howler from Jarell Quansah set up Bruno Fernandes to level the game with man United. From around the midway point, he received a pass from Quansah, quickly firing a dipping shot that slipped inside left post past Caoimhin Kelleher.
The goals that would balance the game then came from Mainoo and Salah. With the game going full throttle, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones missed a golden opportunity at close range to snatch the game. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher finally collected a shot from Antony to conclude a breath-taking game.