Liverpool and Manchester United played out a poor quality stalemate at Anfield on Sunday afternoon in a match that truly underwhelmed. The Reds wasted the opportunity to reclaim their place at the top of the Premier League with a display that was drained of quality and ideas. Express Sport takes a look at five key points from the game…
Klopp let down by four stars
Put frankly, the majority of the Liverpool team let Jurgen Klopp down at Anfield, but four stars truly disappointed when the lights shined the brightest. Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Darwin Nunez all failed to meet the mark against United, with Cody Gakpo also wasting several good chances when he came off of the bench late on due to his overwhelming desire to be the match-winner.
Performances finally catch up with Reds
Although they are just one point off the top of the table, Liverpool haven’t been convincing over the past few weeks and this display was far from out of the blue. The Reds scraped to victories over Crystal Palace, Sheffield United and Fulham recently and, although winners find a way to win, their performances won’t have struck fear into the hearts of Manchester City or Arsenal.
Livewire Nunez
The occasion of a Liverpool/United bout can frequently get under the skin of players, and Nunez looked like the pressure got the better of him at Anfield. The Uruguay international charged into Jonny Evans in the first half in a moment of madness, and his overall performance left plenty to be desired. Nunez’s movement hardly stretched the United defence, with the ex-Benfica star opting to drop deep instead – which proved counter-productive due to his misplaced passes.
Transfer priority becomes clear
Trent Alexander-Arnold has thrived since being allowed to drift into midfield and try and create openings centrally, but his inverted role does have limitations. With the England international playing in more central areas, United were frequently able to limit the influence of Mohamed Salah by ‘doubling up’ on him without the fear of an overlapping fullback being left free. Klopp will have targets of his own in January, but a rotational option in fullback should not be overlooked as Joe Gomez does not have the skillset to fulfil that role effectively.
