Manchester United showed great teamwork and spirit under their new manager, Ruben Amorim, to earn a 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool. It was a tough match, but United didn’t give up against Arne Slot’s team!
The first big moment came in the 52nd minute when Lisandro Martinez scored a fantastic goal, blasting the ball past Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson, to give United a surprise lead. But Liverpool fought back quickly, and Cody Gakpo scored a brilliant goal seven minutes later to make it 1-1 Arne Slot’s side.
Things got tricky for United when Mohamed Salah scored a penalty after a handball by Matthijs de Ligt. That made it 2-1 for Liverpool with 20 minutes left to play. But United didn’t lose hope! Amad Diallo came to the rescue, scoring a great goal after a smart pass from Alejandro Garnacho.
Near the end, Harry Maguire had a chance to win the game for United, but his shot went over the bar. Still, it was a great effort, and United walked away with an important point.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold had a tough game. Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot made things hard for him, and he didn’t win a single challenge before being replaced by Conor Bradley, who did much better.
It was an exciting match, and both teams worked really hard!
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s poor performance in the match led to questions about whether the intense transfer interest from Real Madrid might have distracted him. However, after the game, Arne Slot explained that the outstanding performances of two Manchester United players were a major reason for his struggles.
Arne Slot Defends Alexander-Arnold, Credits United’s Brilliant Duo Dalot and Fernandes After Exciting Anfield Clash
When asked if most of United’s attacks came down Liverpool’s right-hand side, the manager told Sky Sports: “Yeah, I think they did. That is also due to Bruno Fernandes, who is a very, very good player and he played a very good game. United have shown many times if things are really difficult for them, they can show up. They did cause us some problems, Dalot was a threat as well on the left side. We are talking about two starters of the Portugal national team and that is why. It is not always easy to prevent them from getting into dangerous situations, which happened a few times. Unfortunately, that led to two goals.”
When asked more about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s underwhelming performance, Arne Slot defended his player, saying: “Trent has mostly played very good games for the club. Today wasn’t his best game, but that was also because of their quality. Sometimes Ryan [Gravenberch] wasn’t close enough to support him, so it became a two-on-one situation. I’d put it more on the quality of [Diogo] Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.”
Although United didn’t get a full week off, this was their longest break between games since Ruben Amorim became manager—and it showed.
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The Red Devils clearly benefitted from the extra preparation time. Their game plan was well-defined both in and out of possession, a noticeable improvement from their performance against Newcastle on Monday. Amorim addressed a key issue from that match: the hesitation of his center-backs when stepping into midfield. Against Liverpool, all three defenders were proactive in preventing the Reds from exploiting spaces between the lines. Problems only arose when Liverpool’s creative trio managed to drift behind United’s midfield pivot.
Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo were disciplined for most of the game, providing calmness in possession. However, Liverpool’s relentless movement tested their positioning, leading to occasional lapses—unsurprising against a top-tier opponent skilled at dismantling defensive structures. After Mainoo was substituted, Bruno Fernandes filled the role seamlessly. The United captain excelled in the second half and was arguably the best player on the pitch.
It wasn’t a flawless performance, but Amorim—who admitted before the game that his players were “too afraid” to impose themselves—can take pride in the progress made on the training ground. At Anfield, his team showed more than just competence; they came close to walking away with all three points.