Manchester United – Liverpool: United Earn Miraculous Point (2-2)

Despite being dominated throughout the game and conceding plenty of chances, Manchester United were able to earn a point here thanks to moments of genius from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo. Tactically, Liverpool were on top in all phases of the game, with United having problems in securing midfield areas once again.

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

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After their dramatic FA Cup victory over Liverpool just a few weeks ago, Manchester United were looking to for a repeat result in the Premier League. Liverpool meanwhile came into this game needing a win to maintain their place at the top of the table.

Erik ten Hag’s side lined up in a 4-3-3 shape, with a back four of Diogo Dalot, Willy Kambwala, Harry Maguire, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes played as the midfield trio, while Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford flanked Rasmus Højlund up front.

Jürgen Klopp also lined his side up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, and Andrew Robertson at the back. Wataru Endō, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alexis Mac Allister were the midfield three, while Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, and Luis Díaz made up the front three.

United ineffective in possession

The away side had the majority of the ball throughout the game. This was partly due to United’s inability to play constructively through the Liverpool press and retain possession on a consistent basis.

When United had the ball, they were somewhat flexible on the right side. In some variations, Dalot would hold the width, allowing Garnacho to move between the lines and Mainoo to play alongside Casemiro. Other times, Dalot would invert, with Garnacho staying wider, releasing Mainoo to play between the lines. On the left side, Wan-Bissaka played cautiously from left back, with Rashford mostly holding the width and Fernandes roaming freely from the left halfspace.

Liverpool’s compact press was untroubled by United’s organized possession phases. 

Against this, Liverpool pressured in their usual compact 4-3-3 shape, and were usually able to force long balls and turnovers from United’s possession. Ten Hag’s side did not look comfortable playing through pressure, without clear ideas on movements to create free players in buildup and progress through key areas.

This all led to United finishing the first half without an attempt at goal. While they would find the net twice in the second half, this was due to individual moments, rather than a replicable process for breaking teams down.

Liverpool take the initiative

Klopp’s side took the first ten minutes or so before they really got into their own possession game. Once they did though, they looked fairly accomplished, and were also effective in creating chances from transitions.

United operated with a man-oriented pressing scheme as usual. In midfield, Casemiro was generally responsible for Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s most advanced midfielder. Mainoo and Fernandes then marked Endō and Mac Allister, who tended to play deeper during buildup.

Mac Allister’s deeper positioning from left central midfield helped to release Robertson’s attacking runs down the left side. Garnacho was responsible for tracking these runs, but sometimes allowed Robertson to steal too much of a head start on him. This presented issues for Dalot, who needed to be mindful of Díaz indenting movements, as well as Robertson running in behind. United suffered similar tactical issues in the FA Cup tie last month.

United’s midfield was often far too spacious, with Liverpool playing through them several times in the match. 

More broadly, midfield security and compactness was an issue once again for United. Compactness is often something which often naturally suffers with a man-oriented pressing scheme, especially against a team such as Liverpool with smart attacking movements.

With Mainoo and Fernandes pushing out to pressure Liverpool’s two deeper midfielders, there was often a lot of space around Casemiro for other Liverpool players to exploit, and United’s midfield generally looked porous.

United’s miraculous escape

Liverpool were ahead at half-time thanks to Díaz’ goal. However, early in the second half, they were stunned by Fernandes’ incredible long-range lob after he pounced on Quansah’s loose pass, bringing United level.

Liverpool took some time to regain the same level of control and composure after this goal, and it preceded their least dominant twenty minutes of the game in terms of chance creation. Things got worse for Klopp’s side after the hour mark, as Mainoo’s curled effort found the top corner, putting United ahead.

After this point, United sat back more, trying to defend their lead against the inevitable attacking onslaught. Just prior to the goal, Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones had replaced Bradley and Szoboszlai. Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliot now replaced Núñez and Endō, as Jones moved into a deeper role.

Ten Hag had replaced Rashford with Antony after the Englishman picked up a knock. Later, he tried to strengthen his defensive midfield area by bringing Sofyan Amrabat on for Garnacho, with Fernandes moving wide.

United still struggled to keep the spaces in midfield closed though, and eventually Liverpool made them pay. Elliot was taken down in the box, with Salah converting the resulting penalty. Liverpool were on top for the rest of the game, with United ultimately content to secure a point.

Takeaways

United managed to avoid losing this match due to some poor Liverpool finishing and two moments of genius from their talented individuals. However, it was clear that there was a gap in class between the two sides from a tactical point of view. United’s midfield was porous, and that translated to them leaking chances and shots. Going forward, they were reliant on individual magic, without much other source of chance creation.

This will of course be a frustrating for Liverpool, who were the better side throughout. Their only real problem was the lack of clinical finishing in the final third. This result leaves them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table, with Manchester City one point behind in pursuit.

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