Liverpool vs Manchester United (2-2): It was a result that Manchester United would have gladly taken before the game, even if fans were screaming for a win. For Liverpool, it was nothing short of a disaster. It means that Liverpool's Premier League title aspirations suffered a blow and is likely to give the advantage to Arsenal and to a lesser extent to Manchester City too. Two stunning blows from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo may well have created the opening the other teams were hoping and praying for. After all, Man U has no chance of sneaking into the top 3 and the only thing they could do was try and play spoilsport and that is exactly what they did today. Having said that, the goal by Frenandes was magical indeed as it was scored from near the centre circle. Absolutely fantastic!
As is happening in a number of other EPL fixtures recently (namely the draw between Manchester City and Arsenal in a match dominated by City), despite controlling the match, Jurgen Klopp's side found themselves trailing in the second half. Liverpool had the ball in its possession for 62% of the time and took 28 shots to Man U's 9! The wastefulness is clear from the fact that out of these, just 7 shots by Liverpool were on target, while Man U managed 5.
The disaster may well have turned into a tragedy were it not for a late Mohammad Salah penalty that salvaged a point. Notable part is that this draw prevented a second defeat at Old Trafford for Liverpool in three weeks. The draw leaves Liverpool trailing Premier League leaders Arsenal by goal difference and just one point ahead of Manchester City, intensifying the already close title race. Just 7 games are remaining in the season.
It may not have been this way. After all, Liverpool, got numerous chances to score, but squandered them all away with Szoboszlai, Salah, and Nunez culpable of wastefulness. And they let United to counterattack successfully and score.
However, during the first half, Liverpool did manage to take a 1-0 lead through a Luis Diaz's strike. But whatever instruction the team was given at half-time did not seem to work as a Fernandes lob early in the second half led Manchester United to equalise. It got worse for Liverpool as Mainoo's exceptional goal then put United ahead, leaving Klopp visibly frustrated on the touchline.
However, even though Man U would welcome the draw, it does little to bolster its hopes of reaching the top four sides on the EPL table that would enable it to play in the Champions League. Man U is still trailing significantly behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the league standings.