Well, that game was a very boring. The great and HIGHLY anticipated derby matchup between Liverpool and Man United at Anfield was hyped up to monstrous proportions…but ended up being a total dud of a game as it ended 0-0.
Not all 0-0 games are boring…but this one had me wishing I was watching paint dry.
Despite being near the top of the league, in good forum, and having won the last four of the last five matchups against Manchester United at Anfield by a combined total of a 16-1, Liverpool was unable to break down Man United’s all-hands-on-deck defense as the game ended 0-0. And, as I’ve said a few times now, it was REALLY, REALLY painful to watch.
Okay, as a Man United fan, I’m extremely happy with this result.
Sure, Liverpool actually looked like the only team who wanted to play football and not just defend for 95 minutes, Liverpool DESTROYED Man United in the stat line with their 34 total shots to United’s 6, 8 shots on target to United’s 1, near 70% possession (69% vs. 31%), having over double the amount of passes as United (600 vs. 283), blowing United away with a 13% better passing accuracy (83% vs. 70%), amassing 12 corners to United’s 0, and being the far more dangerous and “easy-on-the-eye” team to watch.
But what did all that get them? Oh, that’s right, the same exact result as Man United as the United defense of Johnny Evans, Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, and Andre Onana in goal were immense in their defending and goaltending, respectively, today.
All five of these players deserve the Man of the Match award as when the United midfield broke down, which it did quite often despite Mainoo, Amrabat, and McTominay having decent games, the United defense was there to either intercept, tackle, thwart, or block a Liverpool attack.
And when Liverpool was able to get a shot on goal, Onana was more than up for the task to prevent Liverpool from winning a third straight game over United at Anfield. Still, even with all of these stats and possession, Liverpool really didn’t create THAT chance which should have won them the game.
The only memorable chances I can think of was Ibrahaim Konate’s spin-and-turn chance that was struck right into Onana’s hands midway through the second half, and Mo Salah’s shot that Onana easily volleyed out late on in the game. And, aside from the opening minutes of the 1st half, which is probably where Liverpool needed to score if they wanted to win this game in hindsight, Liverpool’s pressure was sporadically broken up by Man United’s counters.
Yeah, United had a single good chance (not a great one) of scoring when Rashford fired a cross through the Liverpool box that neither Alejandro Garnacho nor Rasmus Højlund could get on the receiving end of in stoppage time, but I never thought Liverpool was going to score outside of the opening 5 minutes. And that’s really a reflection of how poor Liverpool’s forwards were in their decision making in this game.
The United defense did play fantastic, but Liverpool should have been able to score at least one goal on 34 shots with Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Luiz Diaz, and Harvey Elliott all making appearances in this game. There was SO MANY TIMES when one of the front 3 Liverpool players had a great chance on the break to tear down United’s defense and get an” A+” scoring chance on Onana but would constantly make the wrong choice and see the move break down.
There was other points of blame in this game, such as the midfield not coming together well enough despite the possession and passing stats, but this is what really stuck with me from Liverpool’s performance. And, as for United’s effort, they were obviously content with not giving up a goal if it meant not creating a thing. So, job well done…I guess?
I mean, Man United is still in 7th, languishing under the 30-point mark, 11 points behind league-leaders Arsenal and 10 points behind now 2nd-place Liverpool, and are closer to 14th place Bournemouth (19 points) than 1st place Arsenal. It’s good that United didn’t lose this game, but they need to win soon or else they’re going to be done and out in the Top-4 race before we reach Valentine’s Day.
And, as for Liverpool, this really wasn’t the best of results, but at least they didn’t lose. Sure, United is an upper midtable team this season, but Liverpool expecting to win over Man United in a Northwest Derby is akin to playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded revolver.
You need to come into these derby games with the mindset that the opposition is the best of the best and more than capable of defeating you, yet I don’t think Liverpool felt or played that way long enough to deserve a win.
So, even though the game was painfully boring, it was a deserved draw.
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