Sharing points with Liverpool, Man Utd missed the chance to surpass Man City

The Swede's late goal earned Mourinho's side a 1-1 draw at home after falling behind due to a Pogba error.

Man Utd and Liverpool shared points in a match full of tactics from the two coaches. Photo: Reuters.

Goals: Milner (27'), Ibrahimovic (84').

This result caused Man Utd to miss the opportunity to overtake Man City to take fifth place. Before that, Pep Guardiola's team unexpectedly lost 0-4 at Everton. The gap between the two Manchester teams is now two points.

Liverpool started the match with an unfamiliar name on the right wing - 18-year-old defender Trent Alexander-Arnold. The visitors were more proactive in the first few minutes but from the 10th minute onwards, Man Utd had some dangerous attacks. A typical example was Pogba's one-on-one situation in the 20th minute. However, his left-footed shot was off the center of the ball, leading to the ball going inaccurately.

Seven minutes later, Pogba made a regrettable mistake that led to a penalty for Man Utd. The French midfielder handled the ball while jumping to compete for a high ball in the box with an opponent. As a result, James Milner beat De Gea to give Liverpool the lead.

After falling behind, United were desperate to find an equaliser. However, their play often fell apart in the final stages. The visitors’ defence, including Alexander-Arnold, was not good enough to completely contain United’s attackers. The problem for United, even when they did find an equaliser, was a surprising lack of urgency from their midfielders.

Henderson had a good performance while Pogba did the opposite. Photo: Reuters.

Pogba once again disappointed when fans were waiting for him to shine in a big match. In addition to the mistake that led to the goal, the French midfielder had many unnecessary dribbles that led to losing the ball. Ander Herrera played energetically as usual but passed quite a few wrong passes. Mkhitaryan had a good chance, facing goalkeeper Mignolet in the 41st minute but could not score. Martial was only facing an inexperienced player but Jurgen Klopp directed the other players to cover Alexander-Arnold very well.

Liverpool welcomed back captain Jordan Henderson in this match and he was a valuable addition. The away team captain played very well, adding strength to Liverpool's midfield and making some decisive plays to help the home team relieve pressure in some moments of pressure.

Liverpool had some good chances in the second half as Man Utd pressed for an equaliser. Mourinho's substitution of three attacking players, Rooney (for Carrick), Juan Mata (Martial) and Fellaini (Darmian), left the home side open to dangerous counter-attacks. However, Firmino and Wijnaldum both missed their chances despite finishing in good positions.

If Liverpool have Henderson, Man Utd have Ibrahimovic. The Swede returned after missing the Carabao Cup midweek due to health reasons and once again rescued his team from a bad result. His header showed the instincts of a top scorer despite his advanced age and having to play until the end of the game.

Ibrahimovic's header brought about a valuable goal. Photo: Reuters.

In this match, Man Utd's defense played well. Apart from conceding a goal due to an individual mistake, the defenders, especially center back Phil Jones, played aggressively and made many accurate interceptions. Marcos Rojo lacked composure in some situations in his own half when facing the opponent's pressure. If the Argentine defender improves this weakness, it will help Man Utd's ball deployment.

Both goalkeepers played well, especially Simon Mignolet. The Liverpool keeper made at least three saves for his team. De Gea also made an excellent save when he blocked Firmino's shot from close range. Another position on the Liverpool side that played well in this match was midfielder Emre Can, who made dangerous runs down the right flank.

On January 21, Man Utd will play their next match, away at Stoke in round 22 of the Premier League. Before that, Liverpool will play the earliest match of the round against Swansea at home.

According to VNE