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Manchester United held on for a 2-2 with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Following a heartwrenching loss to Chelsea in the final seconds of the match, Man United would be hoping to get back to winning ways. Still, Liverpool have proven to be a tricky opponent for United, with the Merseysiders sitting in second place in the Premier League.
United got off to a bright start, with Bruno Fernandes slotting a through ball to Alejandro Garnacho slotting past the keeper. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed as Garnacho was ruled offside.
Moments later, Liverpool charged upfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai firing a shot from close range that Andre Onana did well to parry. Clearly, United will need to remain alert so as not to be caught off guard by the visitors.
10 minutes in, Szoboszlai was on the edge of the box, collecting a loose ball from a corner and firing it just over the crossbar. The home side will need to improve their marking in order to keep out the Liverpool attack.
In the 23rd minute, Old Trafford fell into silence as Luis Dias got on the end of a corner kick, firing the ball into the back of the net with a fiery scissor kick. Suddenly, memories of the Chelsea defeat came flooding back as the home side went 1-0 down.
Four minutes later, United came close to scoring when Fernandes’ free kick found Casemiro, whose header glanced across the face of goal. Unfortunately, none of his teammates could get a final touch on the ball that would have resulted in a close-range goal.
In the 33rd minute, the visitors launched a rapid counter-attack, with Mohamed Salah striking from the edge of the box to force Onana to make a full-stretch save. The United shot-stopper did well to prevent Liverpool from doubling their lead.
Moments later, Darwin Nunez had a prime scoring opportunity, however, his shot grazed the top of the net. Yet again, Erik ten Hag’s team showed a lapse in concentration.
Yet again, United conceded a close shot two minutes later. Fortunately, an off-balance Salah fired his left-footed shot over the top.
Nunez, Szoboszlai, and MacAllister all got shots in, while United fans continued to wait for their team’s first attempt of the afternoon.
As the fourth official’s board lit up with two minutes of stoppage time, Nunez raced past the defence and fired a shot from the side at goal which Onana parried, only for the referee to blow the whistle for offside.
Liverpool raced upfield yet again, with Connor Bradley earning a corner when his shot was blocked by Harry Maguire. United easily defended the corner as the match came to a halt for half-time.
So far, it’s been a horrific showing from United, who appear to be unable to shake off their poor recent form. For the first time since 2015, they were unable to register even a single shot on goal, showing just how incapable the team has been at makin any kind of impact.
After the restart, the visitors came close to scoring when Nunez fired on goal, only for Maguire, to block his effort just metres away from the goal line. While Rashford attempting to launch a counter, he was easily cut out.
On the 50-minute mark, Liverpool defender Jarell Amorin Quansah bizarrely gave the ball away, with Fernandes pouncing on the loose ball. Noticing that the keeper was off his line, the United skipper fired a shot from distance, with Old Trafford erupting as the ball rolled into the back of the net. A special moment for United as they scored with their first shot of the game.
After the restart, a re-energised United powered into the visitors’ final third yet again, with Garnacho’s shot deflected out for a corner. Maguire got a head on the subsequent cross but was unable to direct it goalwards, while Rashford then sent in a shot that almost crept into the goal.
Within seconds, Liverpool were on the break outnumbering United by five to two. Ultimately, Nunez wasted the opportunity, hitting his shot across the face of goal from close range.
Rashford’s afternoon was brought to an end as Ten Hag decided to shake things up by bringing on Antony.
In the 68th minute, Kobbie Mainoo produced a moment of magic. The 19 year old received the ball in the corner of the penalty box, taking a touch before bending the ball into the far right corner out of the keeper’s reach. Old Trafford erupted into hysteria following the teenager’s piece of brilliance as United took the lead against the run of play.
Three minutes later, United were yet again on the attack when Garnacho’s shot was deflected out for a corner. While Liverpool quashed the danger, United appeared to have the visitors on the ropes for the first time in the match. Yet again, it was Garnacho who sprinted forward to take a shot that was barely saved.
14 minutes from time, Joe Gomez almost scored for Liverpool when his shot bounced goalward off a deflection. Onana was able to change direction just in time to stop the danger.
Four minutes later, the Merseysiders came close again when Diaz’s snapshot was saved by Onana. The rebound fell to Salah, who ballooned his shot over the top.
In the 79th minute, Garnacho made way for Sofyan Amrabat; a sign that Ten Hag may be looking to beef up his midfield.
Two minutes later, Aaron Wan-Bissaka made a careless slide tackle on Harvey Elliot, giving Liverpool a penalty. Salah sent Onana diving the wrong way, thereby levelling the score at 2-2.
Following the goal, Mainoo was replaced by Mason Mount, who recently returned from a lengthy injury absence.
With seven minutes of added time announced, there was still plenty of time for either side to find a late winner. Would United be able to emerged victorious or would it be a repeat of the defeat at Stamford Bridge?
Two minutes into stoppage time, Mount pulled off a wreckless challenge to earn a yellow card. United would need to maintain their composure to escape the match without further disappointment.
With a minute to go, Amrabat and Hojlund paired up well before laying the ball off to Antony, who almost scored a winner only to see his shot get caught. Suddenly, Liverpool launched a counter, with Casemiro wrecklessly slide tackling Diaz to hand the visitors a free kick on the edge of the box and picking up a yellow card in the process.
Onana saved Elliot’s subsequent shot, bringing an end to proceedings with United grabbing an unlikely draw.
Starting XI: Onana, Maguire, Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund, Garnacho, Casemiro, Dalot, Wan-Bissaka, Mainoo, Kambwala
Subs: Antony, Amrabat, Mount
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