This was a much anticipated meeting as two of the top three teams in the Premier League battled against each other, but left much to the imagination. Manchester United and Liverpool played to a lacklustre 0-0 draw, as the Red Devils held on to their spot at the top of the table.
The first half was mostly spent in the United half of the field as Liverpool pressed, but couldn’t break down what was a tough and resolute defence. Jurgen Klopp’s side were missing their final ball as most of their shots were weak or missed the target.
They took 17 shots but only mustered 3 on target and the only one that really troubled De Gea was Thiago Alcantara’s shot from distance in the second half. This has been a recurring theme for the Merseyside team recently though as they have only been able to get 10 shots on target in their last four games, while shooting a whopping 62 times.
United started to come on late in the second half, with a few chances that forced Alisson into making some big saves to keep things goalless. Bruno Fernandes had a great shot and Paul Pogba had a great chance as well, but both were foiled by the goalkeeper.
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Manchester United appear to have put their defensive issues behind
While Liverpool did control most of the possession throughout the game, the usually shaky United defence held strong not allowing them many clear cut chances. The tandem of Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire has looked good recently, as they seem to have finally found the answer to their problems at the back.
While chances for United were few and far between, they did show signs of life with their counter attack but were just unable to finish. While a win would have put a little more distance between the Red Devils and the teams below them, getting a draw away is just as good a result as can be expected.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will now look to stay top of the table with a win in their next match against Fulham on Wednesday, before they take on Liverpool once again, this time in their 4th round FA Cup matchup.