Manchester United finally showed signs of life under new manager Ruben Amorim on Sunday, at least since the win over Manchester City, handing Premier League leaders Liverpool to a surprise 2-2 draw and giving the Reds points for the first time since September had to leave it alone.
The Red Devils were competitive from start to finish, but delivered the first big shock of the match when Lisandro Martínez scored the opening goal of the match in the 52nd minute. Liverpool responded quickly with a stunning goal from Cody Gakpo just seven minutes later, while fortunes went the Reds’ way when Mohamed Salah converted a penalty in the 70th minute. However, Amad Diallo’s equalizer ten minutes later meant the teams had to share the points, a result that was much more favorable to United than to Liverpool.
Sunday’s match marked a dramatic departure from their last meeting in September, when Arne Slot’s side won 3-0 at Old Trafford in one of the last games before United sacked manager Erik ten Hag. However, there were some notable similarities between the two games: Liverpool’s attack was not at its best on either day, with just three shots on target from eleven shots in September and six from nineteen on Sunday. The Reds had a better than expected goals advantage this time around, beating United 2.71 to 1.7 after being bowled out 1.79 to 1.36 in September, but Matthijs de Ligt’s penalty helped their cause considerably a day when they were a little behind. little to be desired in attack.
United may have benefited from Liverpool’s attacking lull on Sunday, but it is difficult not to recognize their own improvements on September’s results. For the first time in a long time, they can reasonably say that they have had a tough time at Anfield. The penalty against De Ligt was justified, but also an accident, while Gakpo’s goal came from a shot with an expected goals value of 0.06. They also had the chance to sneak in a game-winner through Harry Maguire’s miss in the 97th minute, while Andre Onana’s impressive stoppage-time save also kept them in the match.
The areas for improvement are still quite clear for Amorim’s side, with Maguire’s miss starring in a wasteful attacking day that saw the visitors manage just four shots on target from thirteen total attempts. But for the first time in a long time they looked like a team chasing real results, rather than one that collapsed at the final whistle as they did over the festive period. Their strengths are still limited – Diallo remains a bright spot after scoring in Amorim’s biggest games to date, a short list that ends with Sunday’s match against Liverpool and starts with the surprise 2-1 win in the derby from Manchester last month. The defensive combination of Maguire, de Ligt and Martinez could also help United finally clear things up at the back, which has been a problem for more than a year. However, it feels like they finally got some of the intangibles in order on Sunday, making this a result to build on as they look to course-correct after the ten Hag years.
As for Liverpool, they seemed to lack control of a match, which is quite unusual for Slot’s understated but effective team. You could put this performance down to the fatigue of a busy season, which won’t necessarily slow down with an EFL Cup semi-final in three days and matches in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. However, it is far too early to call this a cause for concern: Liverpool are still unbeaten in 24 games and boast a six-point lead with a game in hand at the top of the Premier League, helped by the fact that Arsenal drew against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.