Report: Liverpool 2 United 2

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Sunday 05 January 2025 19:43

Manchester United produced a hard-fought display to earn a deserved point on the road against Liverpool at Anfield.

Unfancied prior to kick-off, United frustrated our hosts from the get-go at Anfield, with clear-cut chances for either side in the first half through Cody Gakpo and Rasmus Hojlund.

We took a deserved lead after the break through Lisandro Martinez’s powerful strike in front of the away end just after the second-half restart, before Liverpool flipped the scoreline on its head through strikes from Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, from the penalty spot.

But Amad equalised with 10 minutes left on the clock, sweeping home beyond Alisson, to earn us a much-merited draw to kickstart our 2025.

United showed spirit from the outset at Anfield.

FIRST HALF – ENCOURAGING START

United made a decent start to proceedings at Anfield, edging the possession in the opening 10 minutes, albeit without troubling Alisson in the hosts’ goal.

Diogo Dalot showed promise with a driving run inside the left channel of Liverpool’s box but couldn’t find a cross, with Kobbie Mainoo having embarked on a similar run moments earlier. A piece of quick thinking from Bruno Fernandes down the opposite side – hooking forward under pressure to send Noussair Mazraoui into space – demonstrated the kind of ingenuity we’d need to unlock the Premier League’s standout side so far this term.

But without an opportunity, all that encouraging play counted for nothing, and Liverpool almost ensured that was the case with a couple of opportunities in quick succession. Lisandro Martinez got down quickly to block a Trent Alexander-Arnold strike with his feet, before Luis Diaz slipped a ball in behind for Gakpo – who sent the half’s best opportunity wide of the far post, with his outside-of-the-boot strike from the angle.

Andre Onana was then called into action when Salah picked out Alexis Mac Allister in the box, who shot as the ball bounced up invitingly before him, drawing a fine stop from the feet of our no.24.

It felt like Liverpool might begin to turn the screw from there but United regrouped well. Another galloping run from Dalot down the left saw him cross well to Amad in the middle, who flung himself at the delivery to try to head home – misjudging it but going so close to getting a decisive touch.

Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt got in one another way’s shortly after – as the former’s header from Fernandes’s free-kick hit his defensive colleague, with the flag up in any case, but the duo looked imperious at the other end. The Anfield crowd did not enjoy seeing both Maguire and De Ligt put in crunching – but fair – challenges on Diaz a few moments later.

There were signs of angst in the Kop as Hojlund and Fernandes squared from the left-hand side, even as both resulted in clearances from the home side, but our best opportunity was still to come.

Martinez hooked over the top with perfect timing to find Hojlund bearing down on goal one-on-one, whose shot was well stopped by Alisson.
Salah made a mess of an effort at the other end late in the half and Diaz failed to wriggle through our backline single-handedly, as time was called on an encouraging first-half display.

Licha thundered home our opening goal.

SECOND HALF – SHOW-STOPPING SCENES

We picked up from where we left off for the second half, with a goalmouth scramble at an early Liverpool corner failing to restrain our endeavour. Dalot went up the other end and had a shot diverted behind by van Dijk before Maguire went close to connecting with a Fernandes corner.

Then came a moment we’ve been waiting for since 2018 as Martinez brought about jubilant scenes in the away end in the Anfield Road stand. Fernandes’s cute reverse pass played the Argentinian through at a tight angle in the box, but he struck powerfully right in front of the travelling faithful, from the angle, to beat Alisson with the help of the underside of the crossbar.

Our lead did not last too long, however, as Gakpo sidestepped De Ligt, as he cut inside from the left, and swept into the far-right corner, just before the hour mark. VAR investigated a possible offside, but the goal was given.

Though our belief was not diminished, Liverpool’s reversal of the scoreline was complete within 10 minutes. The VAR was at play again in awarding the hosts a penalty, for handball against De Ligt at close quarters, which was not given until play had reached the other end of the field. Onana dived the right way but couldn’t prevent Sarah’s strike from the spot finding the net.

However, United were undeterred. Alejandro Garnacho was introduced to provide some threat on the counter and was picked out by Mazraoui soon after coming on, in a threatening position, but the weight of the pass was too strong and the chance was lost.

But with 10 minutes remaining, parity was restored, and deservedly so. Garnacho’s low cross was swept home low by Amad, wide of Alisson, to ignite more jubilant scenes in the away end.

Further chances followed in the final moments as Fernandes almost caught Alisson out with a shot from a quickly taken corner, and van Dijk drew a reaction stop from Onana at the other end.

The decisive say could have been had by United in the 97th and last minute, when substitute Joshua Zirkzee squared for Maguire, but he shot just over as the ball bobbled up in front of him.

A performance to be proud of.

MATCH DETAILS

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Bradley 87), Konate, van Dijk (c), Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones (Jota 60), Gakpo (Elliott 87); Diaz (Nunez 60).

Subs not used: Kelleher, Quansah, Tsimikas, Endo, Chiesa.

Goals: Gakpo 59, Salah 70 (pen).

Booked: Nunez 77, Alexander-Arnold 83.

United: Onana; De Ligt (Yoro 87), Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Mainoo (Garnacho 72), Ugarte, Dalot; Amad, Fernandes (c); Hojlund (Zirkzee 87).

Subs not used: Bayindir, Malacia, Casemiro, Collyer, Eriksen, Antony.

Goals: Martinez 51, Amad 80.

Booked: Dalot 23, De Ligt 64, Maguire 73.

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Sunday 05 January 2025 19:43