Romelu Lukaku proved he has more than just goals to his game in Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool

Although he doesn’t always get on the scoresheet, Romelu Lukaku is still an important player for Manchester United, says Ali Akbar.

Like many Manchester United fans, I wanted nothing less than a win heading into our Premier League clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

However, three first-half injuries meant that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to rework his tactics to focus on containing Jurgen Klopp’s side in the second half instead of risking going for the win.

United ultimately succeeded, holding their bitter-rivals to a draw on Sunday with a heavily weakened side.

The players that remained on the pitch were rightly praised for digging in and securing the point except for one – Romelu Lukaku.

Indeed, although I gave the forward a high score in my player ratings, other journalists weren’t as glowing in their reviews of his performance.

And I for one can’t see why.

Yes, Lukaku didn’t get on the scoresheet, but his all-around game against Liverpool has gone vastly unnoticed by the media.

In the first half, his hold-up play and lay-off for Paul Pogba before receiving the ball back and playing in Jesse Lingard was the best bit of football in the entire game.

In the second half, the Belgian drifted onto the right wing and became United’s main creative outlet, cutting back and crossing the ball in with his left foot on a number of occasions.

His final cross of the game in the 90th minute almost led to a goal – if only Chris Smalling had thrown himself towards the ball at the far post.

Fans and the media should put away their biases and recognise that Lukaku actually played a decent game on Sunday.

Yes, his goal drought can be frustrating to watch – but his performance against Liverpool showed that he offers the team so much more.

Do you agree that Romelu Lukaku deserves praise for his performance against Liverpool? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!