Old Trafford deja vu & regrets for Klopp? – 5 talking points from Man United 2-2 Liverpool

Liverpool suffered a disappointing dent to their Premier League title hopes as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Man United at Old Trafford.

Man United 2-2 Liverpool

Premier League (31), Old Trafford
April 7, 2024

Goals: Fernandes 50′, Mainoo 67′; Diaz 23′, Salah 84′ (pen)

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Reds pay for poor finishing – again!

Having somehow managed to lose despite taking 25 shots during their last trip to Old Trafford, you’d have thought Liverpool might have learned something about the importance of scoring when on top.

But there was no sign of that here, with the Reds once again made to pay for their incredibly wasteful finishing.

This time, the visitors clocked up 28 shots, generated 3.59 xG, and created seven big chances only to end up with as many goals as their opponents managed nine shots, 0.71 xG and one big chance.

Profligacy has been something of a theme for Liverpool of late and, should it continue, it is hard to see this title push ending in success.

“I would have loved us to take a second touch and shoot then,” Klopp later assessed. “If we would have been a bit more clinical in some situations then, yes, of course, we can win here.”

 

A day to forget for Darwin Nunez

After struggling during his first year at Anfield, there is no question that Darwin Nunez has taken huge strides this season en route to clocking up 30 goal contributions.

Yet this game felt like a reminder of the distance the striker still has to travel to become the unstoppable force that Liverpool hoped for when they paid out £85 million to bring him in from Benfica.

Although he grabbed an assist from a well-worked set-piece, Nunez completed just six of his 12 passes and missed a huge chance before being taken off while the visitors were in desperate need of a goal.

It is fair to expect more from your club’s record signing in the biggest of games, though the Uruguayan was not alone in playing poorly, of course.

 

Will Klopp have Konate regrets?

That Ibrahima Konate featured on the bench at Old Trafford suggests that Jarell Quansah‘s selection ahead of him cannot have been down to a major fitness concern.

And you wonder whether Klopp might well wish he had opted for the Frenchman from the start given what transpired on Sunday afternoon.

It is not that Quansah played particularly poorly, or that he should be overly criticised for the uncharacteristic error that led to Bruno Fernandes’ goal.

But it is fair to ask if Liverpool might have won with their second-best centre-half playing, particularly given his electric pace would have been handy in terms of preventing United from getting momentum through the odd counter-attack.

 

Harvey Elliott a bright spot

If there was one Liverpool player who can walk away from Old Trafford with his head held high, it is surely Harvey Elliott.

The 21-year-old was brought on with the Reds trailing 2-1 and not only won the penalty that led to the equaliser but also played a huge role in changing the flow of the game.

Despite his tender years, Elliott seemed to understand better than any of his teammates how to perfectly mix patience and threat in possession while rarely giving the ball away in cheap fashion.

Had Liverpool shown such intelligence from minute one of the game, then they would have gone on to win this one with ease.

 

Familiar struggles in midfield

As was the case in the sides’ FA Cup meeting, even in their best moments here Liverpool struggled to truly control the centre of the park.

Of the 24 ground duels the visitors’ starting midfield three contested, just eight were won, with five (out of 10 attempted) of those coming from the impressive Alexis Mac Allister.

Wataru Endo (2/8) and Dominik Szoboszlai (1/6), meanwhile, lost far more than they won, allowing United to continually get a foothold in a game they should have been nowhere near.

Perhaps the big Old Trafford pitch just doesn’t allow for the compactness Klopp likes but, whatever the reason, Liverpool’s lack of control ultimately proved to be their Achilles’ heel again away at Man United.