Sometimes titles turn on the freakish and the fantastic. Somehow Liverpool did not beat Manchester United and that somehow owed so much to their own wastefulness and, unfortunately, a mistake by their otherwise outstanding young defender Jarell Quansah.
While not quite on the scale of Steven Gerrard’s harrowing slip against Chelsea in 2014, with Manchester City going on to be Premier League champions, it was certainly a moment the 21-year-old defender will want to forget.
Time will tell – with seven games to go – how much it means and how important, also, was Mohamed Salah’s late penalty that salvaged a point and gained Liverpool the very least they deserved.
A glance at the table shows how tight it is. Arsenal now lead, after their imperious away win at Brighton & Hove Albion, but only on goal difference from Liverpool. City are a point behind and gloriously there is no sign of this three-horse race flagging. It would also be extremely brave, or foolish, or both, to call it and it would be no surprise, in the coming weeks, for all three of those teams to appear to be favourites.
For the next fortnight we also have the variable of all three being involved in intense European ties.
But mistakes do matter; especially when the stakes are so high. And it was undoubtedly an error by Quansah as he turned and played a pass towards Virgil van Dijk without looking. Bruno Fernandes latched onto it but, still, there was so much to do.
This is where his brilliance kicked in as he flighted a first-time shot from inside the centre-circle. The midfielder would not have attempted it had goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher not been caught stranded outside the penalty area, patrolling his box, but he had the vision to do so. As Kelleher grasped at air, the ball bounced beyond him and United, remarkably, were level.
Having been on the ropes, having been completely dominated, having been relieved that they were not – without exaggeration – at least three goals down at half-time and facing humiliation it was a superbly opportunistic moment that energised United.
Just as that appeared to be the most astonishing incident of the match it was topped by a quite wonderful goal from Kobbie Mainoo. In front of England assistant manager Steve Holland the 18-year-old midfielder started and finished the move, surging from midfield, demanding the ball back from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, to give United the unlikely lead, curling a sumptuous shot beyond Kelleher’s reach.
It was four days short of the 15th anniversary of the memorable goal scored by another United teenager, Federico Macheda, in the dramatic win over Aston Villa on the way to the title and was almost a carbon copy of it as it sent the home fans inside Old Trafford into a frenzy.
United thrived on the chaos here – just as they had done in the recent FA Cup quarter-final between these two sides. In truth it was their only hope because Liverpool were so clearly superior and more fluent – highlighted by their utter dominance of midfield. Mainoo, as well as he did, Fernandes, arguably United’s man-of-the-match, and Casemiro were feeding off scraps against Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo.
Maybe it was too easy for Liverpool – a claim that would infuriate Jurgen Klopp – but how else do we explain the misses from Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Salah? They all spurned clear chances they would have expected to take.
Liverpool had 28 attempts at goal – 15 before half-time to United’s none at that stage – to nine. Their expected goals (xG) was 3.59. United’s was 0.71. The statistics do not lie. If Liverpool had won 3-1 it would have been a fair reflection, in fact.
And yet they did not and that is what is so thrilling about sport, about football, about the Premier League: a league where a team, United, can face boos at half-time and be cheered to the rafters at the final whistle even though they did not win.
United’s fans will gleefully hope they have derailed Liverpool’s title push – even if it means they gave a boost to City and Arsenal – as their rivalry, arguably, still remains the deepest and the most bitter and the most imbued with history. After all, if Liverpool win the league they will draw level with United’s record of 20 triumphs.
In a sense this is what United are reduced to – hoping to be the disruptors, feeding off defiance – but the alternative on this occasion was embarrassment. And there has been too much of that, of late. That they did not capitulate after quickly falling behind was to their credit. Even if it was largely because of luck while Liverpool will simply wonder how they did not win.
The gulf was apparent in Liverpool’s opening goal. Andre Onana had impressively denied Szoboszlai with a one-handed save and the midfielder had then slid the ball wide when he should have scored. But it did not seem to matter as Nunez was easily allowed to flick on a corner and Diaz – completely unmarked – volleyed it home.
If the game swung on Quansah’s error then Nunez also had to hold his hand up. Before Mainoo gave United the lead, United over-committed and Liverpool broke. Diaz cleverly teed up Nunez who attempted to shoot left-footed, when he should have swept the ball home with his right, and the close-range chance was gone. Similarly, Salah blazed wildly and uncharacteristically over. As did Diaz.
It was a sign of Liverpool’s determination to claim this title, and United’s collective failings and lack of game-management, that Salah scored from the spot. Substitute Harvey Elliott earned it, surging into the area and drawing a reckless challenge from Wan-Bissaka. Salah was cool and scored and the game ended a draw. Was it a point gained for Liverpool or two lost by them? Given their dominance, and the nature of United’s equalising goal, it felt like the latter.
Manchester United vs Liverpool: As it happened
05:58 PM BST
Jason Burt’s report
will appear above. Sky’s coverage has now turned attention to the Spurs game, as will we. Follow that here and thanks for reading.
05:57 PM BST
Superfans
05:47 PM BST
Jurgen Klopp speaks to Sky Sports
“We are the only team that had control. We should have won the game. Caused problems for ourselves. Should have scored other goals in first half. Really well executed from Bruno when we made the mistake. We needed a few minutes to settle after that but then they scored another screamer. It’s a point at Manchester United. We have a point more than before the match.
“United put an extra shift in against us, and we will face that again against Everton soon.”
“Yeah, similar to the Cup game. We were in a bit of a rush shooting. We were full of life, excitement, desire. There is more to take from a game than the result. I am not over the moon, but it is okay. You take what you get.”
“I will get my calm across to the players. Don’t worry. No problem. We don’t have many home games left so we have to use that occasion. The team that wins the League will deserve it and I am absolutely fine that we are still in that race.”
05:42 PM BST
Mainoo speaks to Sky
“Frustrated. We felt we should have won the game. Unbelievable feeling, first OT goal. But we couldn’t win so I can’t feel too good. Little mistakes on the ball, off the ball, need ironing out. Tough first half, they are a very good side. We have to bounce back. Details, details.”
05:40 PM BST
It means
Arsenal are top, on goal difference. Liverpool and Arsenal on 71 points each, City on 70. Arsenal, whose GD is 51, have the Title race back in their hands. If Arsenal win all their last seven, they will be champs.
05:27 PM BST
Full time: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
That’s it! Liverpool look gutted but they “only have themselves to blame”, as Jamie Carragher puts it. They should have buried United in the first half and they had so many chances. “I can’t believe what I am watching,” says Roy Keane. “The managers must be tearing their hair out. Mad, mad game.”
05:26 PM BST
90+ mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
Casemiro wipes out Diaz, is booked. United have a freekick. Elliott pounces on a loose ball and hits the target with a shot.
05:25 PM BST
90+ mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
Trying to decide what I think would be the funniest conclusion to this. Antony with a breakway and a shot at the keeper. United winning is probably the silliest?
05:24 PM BST
90+ mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
Another good chance. Diaz the Wasteful Wanda on this occasion.
Various people are getting a bit het up by the occasion. Mount and Antony have been booked.
05:19 PM BST
90 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
There will be seven minutes added. First order of business is a corner for Liverpool. Ref blows up for an attacking foul.
Same as the FA Cup game: Hundreds of Manchester United fans in the Stretford End audible when chanting “Always the victims”.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) April 7, 2024
05:17 PM BST
Keith Hackett
Referee Anthony Taylor was in a great position to correctly judge that penalty kick. It really did not require a VAR check, it was a good decision by the referee. At this late stage of the match, Taylor is putting in the work-rate, reading the game well and will continue to raise his awareness and not let his concentration diminish.
05:17 PM BST
86 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
Salah uses it, United counter, Jones has to rugby tackle Hojlund for a yellow.
Inevitable.
Liverpool doing their best again to throw the game away against an incredibly average Utd.#MUNLIV— Daniel Ruiz Tizon (@1607WestEgg) April 7, 2024
05:15 PM BST
85 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
Diaz and Dalot slide for the ball, and off the pitch down that unusual little turf bank at OT. Diaz looks hurt for a second. He’s ok.
05:14 PM BST
84 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 2
Mainoo off for Mount.
05:13 PM BST
GOAL! Man United 2 Liverpool 2 (Salah 83 pen)
Keeper dives left, Salah puts that the other way. Neatly done. Salah runs to the net and grabs the ball. Can Liverpool find the winner now?
05:11 PM BST
82 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Wan-Bissaka lunges with his leg and hits the deck. Harvey Elliott tips the ball away from the tackle and goes over the leg. That’s a penalty in anyone’s book. Even VAR can get this one right. Mo Salah has the ball on the penalty spot.
Salah having some problems getting the ball to stay on the spot. Windy there. Eventually he does…
05:08 PM BST
80 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Onana booked for delaying the restart. That’s where United are as an outfit.
05:07 PM BST
79 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Diaz hits a shot first time, it’s parried and drops for Salah! Who crushes the ball well over.
05:06 PM BST
78 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Liverpool have United pinned back. Probing, testing.
05:05 PM BST
77 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Gomez hits the target with a deflected shot.
05:04 PM BST
76 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Liverpool had lost their heads for a few minutes but are starting to pass it around now, applying a more sensible pressure. When they do that, it’s they who look classy and United who look shaky. Because they are.
05:02 PM BST
74 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Kambwala goes in the book for a wild lunge.
04:58 PM BST
68 mins: Man United 2 Liverpool 1
Klopp is absolutely spitting chips and I cannot say that I blame him.
He makes some subs, probably in part in RAGE against how wasteful his players have been.
Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott replace Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo. Nunez had five shots and none on target, for example.
04:56 PM BST
GOAL! Man United 2 Liverpool 1 (Mainoo 67)
What a hit! Ha ha ha. How funny. United have an attack, Mainoo gets the ball on the corner of the penalty area, he takes a little touch with his left, then curls a glorious strike with his right into the far corner!
04:54 PM BST
65 mins: Man United 1 Liverpool 1
Time for some subs. Rashford off. Antony on.
Szoboszlai off. Bradley off. Gomez and Jones on.
04:52 PM BST
Metronome
Alexis Mac Allister has been the best player on the pitch. Liverpool’s metronome. Pulls it all together. He must be wondering how on earth his team are drawing a game they have utterly dominated.
04:49 PM BST
60 mins: Man United 1 Liverpool 1
United are all over the place at the back. No shape. Guys just hurling themselves at the ball/in the way. You have to see it as a failure of coaching, surely, as much as anything else. Pure chaos. Ball’s just been pinged over to the Liverpool left and the MUFC RB is like 15 yards away from his man. WTF?
04:46 PM BST
58 mins: Man United 1 Liverpool 1
Salah dancing his way through the United area, eventually dips it to Mac Allister. Shot charged down.
Klopp very agitated – even for him – on the touchline and it looks like some Premier League wonk or other is getting a piece of his mind.
04:43 PM BST
55 mins: Man United 1 Liverpool 1
United suddenly rampant, good save from the unspellable Liverpool goalie.
But, this really is a crazy game here, now United suddenly lose it, Liverpool break with FIVE on TWO but Nunez somehow contrives to miss the goal with a cross-shot.
04:41 PM BST
51 mins: Man United 1 Liverpool 1
A total gift from Liverpool. There’s sloppy, and then there’s that. They’ve let United off the hook and now United look well up for it. Rashford and Garnacho both looking really dangerous all of a sudden.
04:39 PM BST
GOAL! Man United 1 Liverpool 1 (Fernandes 50)
Oh my goodness. A terrible bit of play from Liverpool centre back Quansah, who does not get his head up, passes the ball STRAIGHT to Fernandes. Bruno F has the presence of mind to see the keeper well out of goal, and smashes the ball over him from 40 yards!
04:38 PM BST
49 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Decent break from Rashford, but either he doesn’t see the support or the support is insufficient. He doesn’t see Hojlund in the centre and they argue about it once MR has run out of space.
04:36 PM BST
47 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Yet another good chance goes begging as Liverpool cut United open down the left… but Nunez drills his shot against the mighty figure of Maguire.
04:35 PM BST
46 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
No subs as far as I can tell as Liverpool kick off.
04:31 PM BST
Cheer up United fans
There’s Sam Alardyce working his magic on Sirs Jim R and David B in the prawn sandwich seats.
04:27 PM BST
Love-fifteen
04:22 PM BST
FAO xG headz
United: 0.00
04:21 PM BST
Deja vu
Deja vu from the FA Cup tie. Liverpool are in a peculiar position of being ahead at Old Trafford but feeling frustrated. This game should be over. The gulf between the sides has been huge, but Liverpool are panicking too much when carving chances. Alexis Mac Allister is running the game, and Virgil van Dijk has barely had to break sweat. But having been in exactly the same situation three weeks ago, Jurgen Klopp will be pleading with his strikers to calm down and ensure they score the next goal. The longer United can keep it at 1-0, the more they will believe they can repeat what – at this stage – looks like an unlikely comeback.
04:20 PM BST
Half time: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
About the best you can say from a United angle is that this should be all over. Liverpool look a completely different level of quality, but their finishing has been wasteful. 15 (fifteen!) shots but only four on target. United’s defenders look like they are lacking in basic coaching and understanding of where to stand.
Let’s hear from our experts at the ground.
04:18 PM BST
45+ mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Yet another Liverpool move, and this time it is Bradley who has the chance. Charged down by Wan-Bissaka for the umpteenth corner. Nothing comes of it and United have clung on.
Jason Burt: “One thing I can never get my head around – the modern day tendency to kick the ball out of play when an opponent goes down, however innocuously. If it’s a head injury or someone is clearly very hurt, that’s different but the boos and groans that erupted around Old Trafford when Casemiro kicked the ball out after Luis Diaz had gone down following a challenge spoke volumes. Just play on, surely. The referee Anthony Taylor would not even allow the physio on to give Diaz treatment after the ball went out of play which said a lot.”
04:16 PM BST
45+ mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Lovely bit of play between Robertson and Nunez culminates with a shot from a narrow angle that Onana does well to deal wi– oh, it’s off side.
04:14 PM BST
44 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Salah with a wicked diagonal: a foot further from Onana and Darwin was tapping that in.
04:13 PM BST
43 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Rashford defensive error allows Bradley in, he slips it across. Darwin N steps over the ball and Luis Diaz is the latest Liverpool man to be a bit wasteful with a really good opportunity. His strike deflected behind.
United clear the ensuing corner well.
04:10 PM BST
Onana: a rare positive
In a season of very few positives for Manchester United, the form of Andre Onana since the turn of the year has been one source of encouragement. He’s been United’s best player here, encapsulated by a fine save in the third minute to deny Dominik Szoboszlai. He could do little about the goal but has made a number of other saves, although it’s Liverpool’s errant finishing rather than United’s goalkeeper that is the reason the scoreline is not more than one. This is the 26th different back four United have fielded this season but it’s the ease with which Liverpool are slicing through Ten Hag’s midfield that is inviting such pressure on the defence
04:10 PM BST
39 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
I make that 13 shots to zero.
04:07 PM BST
35 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Untied are getting a pumping here. Liverpool seem to have acres down the left, played to Szoboszlai, who sends it onto Salah. His shot is wild.
About the best you can say from an United POV is that Liverpool have been a bit wasteful and it should be more than 1-0. That’s what happened in the last match as well innit.
04:05 PM BST
34 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
A United attack breaks down (Mainoo losing it) and Liverpool break. Sweeping move, ball played out to Salah. Lucky for United it’s just behind him. He hits the target nevertheless.
Onana palms that behind for a corner and them from the corner, it drops again for Salah. Again a good hit – and again Onana parries it away for a corner. Probably should have caught that, no?
In any event, it’s another corner – and this one drops for Darwin Nunez, whose shot is onto the roof of the net.
03:59 PM BST
29 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Nunez and Garnacho collide going for the ball. Looked fair enough to me.
03:58 PM BST
28 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
United have an excellent freekick, Casemiro heads it back across… but no United man in the box can apply the finish. Hojlund probably the closest.
03:57 PM BST
26 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Carragher and Neville have just spotted Mainoo asking Harry Maguire ‘who am I supposed to be marking?’
03:55 PM BST
24 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 1
Neville: “a quarter of the game gone and United have conceded 9 shots. You just cannot do that in any game of football.”
03:54 PM BST
GOAL! Man United 0 Liverpool 1 (Diaz 23)
That’s it. I feel that’s a fair reflection. Corner comes in. “United are obsessed with Van Dijk but there is another big man,” notes Carragher. Darwin Nunez rises well to nod it on and there’s Diaz at the back post, unattended (by Mainoo, I think), to scissor kick the ball home. Bosh.
03:52 PM BST
20 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool starting to dominate this, for my money. Plenty of the ball, good field position. They chip a cross in now for Endo and United nod it behind for a corner.
03:49 PM BST
18 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Szoboszlai seems to be involved in everything. And he should have scored here. Robertson slides a low cross in, Szoboszlai arrives to meet it but plants the first-time shot wide. Should have scored because anything on target would have given the keeper no time to react.
03:44 PM BST
12 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Szoboszlai looks, for a second, like he is through here. But a combination of good pressure from Dalot, and poor decision making from Szoboszlai, stops him from selecting the correct pass: the galloping, overlapping Diaz.
03:42 PM BST
10 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Salah sets up Szoboszlai, who whips a shot just over.
Gary Neville: “The first ten minutes show us that this game is not going to be cat and mouse, it is going to be punch-punch-punch.”
03:38 PM BST
8 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool deal well with that corner.
03:37 PM BST
7 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Robertson looks a bit unsure, Van Dijk has to step in and help him out. A few words are exchanged. Corner. Robertson deals with this one. Another corner.
Bradley has been booked for upending M Rashford.
03:36 PM BST
5 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Good run from Darwin Nunez but he loses his footing outside the box. It’s rainy, greasy in Manchester by the looks of things.
03:34 PM BST
3 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Now it’s Liverpool’s turn for a sweeping, pacy attack: and it ends with a superb pass from Salah to Szoboszlai, who is in plenty of space – and he hits a very good shot. And it draws a very good save from Onana.
Cracking start to the match!
03:32 PM BST
2 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
Fernandes plays the ball through for Garnacho who does really well to go round the keeper and finish…. but that is offside. The flag didn’t immediately go up but it was offside, no real debate.
03:31 PM BST
1 mins: Man United 0 Liverpool 0
United, in red, kick off. Liverpool are in white and green quarters, and are pressing high up the pitch immediately.
03:30 PM BST
Final thoughts from pundits
Gary Neville: “Rasfhord needs to do well, he is up against the most inexperienced part of Liverpool’s team: Bradley at RB and Quansah at RCB”.
03:28 PM BST
Roy Keane on Titles
“One wouldn’t be enough for me.” Solid entry.
03:27 PM BST
Peter Drury on Sky Sports
“Familiarity – and contempt. It is THE fixture that feeds off fury.”
03:26 PM BST
A big game for Rashford
It feels like a big game for Marcus Rashford, who has been restored to the Manchester United starting line-up to face Liverpool after being on the bench v Chelsea, and not least with England assistant manager Steve Holland in the directors’ box. Rashford’s place in England’s squad for the European Championships is certainly now under threat and he could do with a strong performance in front of Holland. By the way, Gareth Southgate was at Ibrox earlier to watch Rangers’ thrilling 3-3 draw with Celtic. With England facing a goalkeeping crisis, Southgate will have been there to scout Rangers’ Jack Butland.
03:25 PM BST
Where’s your money?
Liverpool are 6-4 on to win this afternoon. The players are in the tunnel.
03:09 PM BST
Mind the gap
So much rubbish is spoken in football, and there is no bigger fib than the idea that previous fixtures against a particular opposition – especially a major rival – will have no influence on the next meeting. Jurgen Klopp would not be doing his job if he was not reminding his players what happened at Old Trafford three weeks ago. In fact, he probably does not have to mention it. It is etched on everyone’s memory and those Liverpool players who chucked away the FA Cup tie will be itching to make amends. As so often in games of this stature, the first 25 minutes will be critical to set the tone. Liverpool will come out with intent. If United resist early pressure – or start with their own momentum – predictions of a one-sided game between a title challenger and one of the poorest United side’s in years will be exposed as folly.
03:09 PM BST
Klopp speaks to Sky
“All the opponents coming up are difficult for different reasons. United have obvious quality. We have to be ready to face the specific things they bring on the pitch. Normal football challenges.
“I think you have to understand the occasion. If we do well the atmosphere will be calmer and that is the way to do with it. We have to be good without the ball.
“I don’t think that playing third makes a different. I can’t speak for everybody. We don’t watch games together and hope Brighton lose. Maybe other teams hope we lose, I don’t know. We have to play the game anyway.”
03:02 PM BST
Ten Hag speaks to Sky
“What brings you energy? Humour. Music. Anger. And we have to use the anger from last week because that was below standards.”
“It’s another back four, it is crazy. But we have to deal with that, we have to manage it.
“We need good pressing, that’s the demand from the front line. Antony went far in his physical demands on Thursday and it is a lot if you are not used to it.”
02:50 PM BST
United’s defensive crisis
Manchester United have a defensive crisis with Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans, both of whom came off injured in Thursday’s 4-3 defeat at Chelsea, joining Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia on the sidelines. It means a place on the bench for academy full backs Harry Amass and Habeeb Ogunneye. Marcus Rashford comes back into the starting XI and Erik ten Hag will need him to offer far more than he did at Stamford Bridge. Antony is probably a little unfortunate to drop to the bench. Liverpool’s man of the moment Alexis MacAllister starts with Luiz Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah in attack.
02:49 PM BST
Sturridge on Klopp
“Klopp shows that aggression, he shows the players what he wants from them. He will be firing them up.”
02:48 PM BST
Daniel Sturridge
is in Nashville (and congrats if you had that on your bingo card) as part of a USA Premier League fan event.
I have no words to describe Daniel’s attempt at an American accent at the end of his interview with Kelly Cates.
02:45 PM BST
Kelly Cates roasting Gary Neville
Cates: “Gary how is the United dugout? Are you auditioning?”
Gary: “If I’d won three or four more games at Valencia I might have been sat here at some point in my career, but those moments have passed me by Kelly, unfortunately.”
Cates: “If you’d won more games you might still be in the dugout there Gary!”
Ha, nicely played.
02:37 PM BST
Virgil van Dijk to Sky Sports
“Of course it gets harder to keep calm heads but it is more important than ever. You have to shut out what others do, it is about winning our games ahead of us. Everyone knows how big this game is.”
02:37 PM BST
Bruno Fernandez
“A completely different game to the Cup game. We know what we are capable to do. We cannot be thinking about last match or how tired we are.”
02:35 PM BST
Gary Neville
says “I am a little bit worried about today.”
02:33 PM BST
Team news incoming
Manchester United: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Kambwala, Dalot, Casemiro, Mainoo, Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund. Subs: Bayindir, Amrabat, Mount, Eriksen, Diallo, Antony, Forson, Ogunneye, Amass.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai, Salah, Nunez, Diaz. Subs: Gomez, Konate, Adrian, Jones, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Danns.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
and
02:26 PM BST
No half and half scarves
02:24 PM BST
Caoimhin Kelleher taking his chance
By Ian Whittell
Caoimhin Kelleher will edge ahead of Alisson in the Liverpool appearance charts at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, having seen his decision to remain with the club last summer vindicated in spectacular fashion.
The 25-year-old Ireland international was widely expected to seek a new club, due to his inability to dislodge his Brazilian rival from Jurgen Klopp’s line-up. As recently as the January transfer window, Nottingham Forest were keen to offer him first team football.
But, after Kelleher’s talks with Klopp last close season, injury to Alisson has offered the goalkeeper an unexpected window in which to showcase his talents, the latest of which will come when the Premier League leaders visit Manchester United.
“There were obviously discussions because I wanted to play as much as I can,” said Kelleher. “It was clear that because of the circumstances I was in, that I had to stay.
“Obviously I got this big opportunity, which can always happen. The manager did say that anything can happen like that.
“It was very unfortunate the Alli picked up an injury but on the other side it’s been an opportunity for me to get more games. It couldn’t have worked out much better, to be fair.
“I’ve obviously had a lot of games this season, so the decision to stay was probably the right one.”
There appears little doubting that fact and Sunday should present Kelleher with his 25th appearance of the season – one more than Alisson – in what would be a 13th consecutive start.
Considering Kelleher had played just 21 games – only five of them in the Premier League – over his four seasons before the current campaign, it has marked a major opportunity for development.
Kelleher has already won the EFL Cup this season, in the Final win over Chelsea, adding to the winner’s medal he collected in the competition two years ago, after a heroic display in a penalty shoot-out win over the same opponents.
Alisson’s return to training from his hamstring problem is imminent and his availability moving ever closer, but Kelleher could yet add Premier and Europa League medals to that collection before season’s end.
Given such high stakes, it is no surprise that he has yet to address his future with the outgoing Klopp or club management.
“To be fair, I have not thought much about it,” said Kelleher. “There are so many important games coming up that if I took my mind of those, I think I can’t afford to do it.
“I’ve just been focusing on what I’m doing, trying to do well, and we’ll see what happens.”
“It’s obviously been really good for me to get this run of games. It’s what I have been working for, to get this opportunity to play a run of games and get that rhythm.
“There’s been the added bonus of winning the Carabao and now going for more trophies.
“I am playing football at the highest level, going for the major trophies – and that’s what every player wants to do. I am really enjoying myself.”
Growing up in Cork, Kelleher was brought up on the Liverpool-United rivalry that divides Irish football supporters and one which he experienced for the first time, as a player, in his team’s recent 4-3 FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford.
“The two main clubs over there are Liverpool and Man United,” he said. “It’s a massive fanbase for both, so it will be interesting on Sunday back in Ireland.
“I’ve got a few mates who are Man U supporters and some family and stuff. It will be interesting, so hopefully we can get on the right side of a result.
“It was a good lesson. It was my first time playing at Old Trafford and you could feel the crowd. It’s similar to Anfield. We have to manage that better as well. We will go there and try to control the crowd as much as we can.
“It’s nice for us to be going back so we can right the wrong of that FA Cup defeat. It’s the sooner the better for us.”
01:57 PM BST
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01:43 PM BST
Huge match coming up
Good afternoon, hope you’re having a restful Sunday and thank you for joining us for a fixture that is quickening the pulse for all sorts of reasons. For Liverpool, of course, a chance to go top and two points ahead of Arsenal. For Manchester United, a chance to consolidate their grasp on, erm, sixth place. And for Erik ten Hag (see previous remark), a chance to prove to United’s new controllers that he should be given the chance to fight on. It’s probably a stretch to say that defeat will cost him his job but the Dutchman is surely drinking in the last chance saloon one way or the other. Here’s the Telegraph’s Jim White on that whole farrago.
For a certain sort of fan, the match will also present the opportunity for obnoxious chanting; here’s Jurgen Klopp’s plea for an end to that here.
Here’s ETH explaining what he is looking for from his players: “We can play to a very high standard. We can compete with the best and beat the best in the Premier League and when you can do that, you can also do it across Europe. We need to learn how to bring big games over the line, Saturday (Brentford) was an example. We have to step up, make better decisions individually and as a team.”
Sure. And he’s urging his players to get angry.
“We will be in a positive mood. We will be looking forward. We have to take energy but we will be mad, angry. From anger you can take a lot of energy and that is how we have to do it.”
And his countryman Cody Gakpo is keeping his feet on the ground in the opposing dressing room, by the sounds of it.
“Obviously we are aware of the situation but we just try to approach every game and stay calm,” said Gakpo. “Your mind can go all over the place if you are thinking about the end of the season, but we just have to take it game by game. We are doing it pretty well at the moment and we just need to stay calm and stay focused.”
We will see what XI players ten Hag and Klopp each select at about 1430, and then the kick off is at 3.30pm UK time.
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