Liverpool took back top spot in the Premier League, but failed to take full advantage of three Manchester United first-half substitutions as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
Jurgen Klopp’s men lead Manchester City by just a single point with both sides now 27 games through the campaign.
But the German will be deeply concerned after another listless performance in 2019, one full of imprecision.
United’s XI was without an injured Nemanja Matic and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were dealt further blows after the game kicked off as Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and the Spaniard’s replacement Jesse Lingard were all substituted through injury.
Roberto Firmino was another to exit early after rolling his ankle, while Marcus Rashford also struggled with an issue of his own despite completing 90 minutes.
Liverpool dominated possession but the hosts created the better opportunities. Here, we rate Klopp’s outfit after a dour draw.
LIVERPOOL 4-3-3
Alisson 7 – Smothered the best chance of the game when he raced out to tip then collect the ball from Jesse Lingard’s feet. Assured performance.
Virgil van Dijk 6 – Largely untroubled, but that’s not surprising considering United’s forward line evaporated like water in the desert.
Joel Matip 6 – Arguably Liverpool’s most progressive ball carrier. Burst forward in an attempt to drag players out of position.
Andrew Robertson 5 – A really subdued display from the flying Scot, who was restricted by having to curb the influence of Romelu Lukaku.
James Milner 4 – Probably the worst performance of his Liverpool career. Slow to act when play was funnelled through to him and his crossing was diabolical.
James Milner
Fabinho 6 – Competed well physically, made good recoveries and passed with assurance. Not his fault those ahead of him were poor.
Georginio Wijnaldum 6 – United’s midfield really struggled to get a grip of him as he used a series of body feints to manoeuvre some room.
Jordan Henderson 5 – The captain was picked for his solidity when a more attack-minded option was required. Didn’t really make an impact.
Roberto Firmino 5 – Off before the half hour mark with an injury, initiated the press well before that but wasn’t really afforded time to find his rhythm.
Sadio Mane 5 – Buzzed around the pitch with his typical enthusiasm, but once more the forward’s accuracy in possession deflated promising attacks.
Mohamed Salah 4 – Dreadful. Provided zero quality on the ball and any threatening position was wasted through his clumsy decision making.
SUBSTITUTES
Daniel Sturridge 5 – Brought on for Firmino instead of Shaqiri to ensure Liverpool kept their 4-3-3 shape. Barely left an imprint, bar a speculative long-range effort.
Xherdan Shaqiri 6 – Finally on for Henderson in the second half and at least looked to inject more vigour into what was a lifeless Liverpool performance.
Divock Origi N/A – Entered in the final 10 minutes as the Reds went more direct.
