5 elements that destroyed Liverpool vs Manchester United

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho encourages from the Anfield sidelines on Saturday

#2 A negative attitude and approach

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League
Jose Mourinho makes a change during the 0-0 draw against Liverpool

Jose Mourinho has been heavily criticised for his negative influence on how the match was played out on Saturday, but Jurgen Klopp is not entirely blameless in this regard either. Although Liverpool created slightly more chances, they had the opportunity to do more, but remained fearful of falling into Mourinho's trap. Not losing was more important to both managers than winning.

As the manager of the away team, Mourinho has currency to argue the case for his actions having come away from a difficult away fixture with a point and a clean sheet, but showing such an element of fear about taking the game to Liverpool signifies a key change in Manchester United's approach. This is a fixture that has defined generations of players for both clubs, but the latest will be quickly forgotten.

And the difference is that Sir Alex Ferguson would have never complimented Liverpool to that extent, and if he had set his side up so cautiously, it would have been an admission that he had no confidence in his side. Ferguson's Manchester United would have had that determination to win against their bitter rivals, and not trying to would have been considered unforgivable.

Likewise, Liverpool teams of the past would have rarely defied the orders of the Kop to attack their rivals, especially when they were playing with such a cautious and defensive approach. In the past, it would have meant more to both sides to lose by trying to win than to play for and succeed in earning a draw, but this change in approach marks the sad decline of a fixture that once promised so much more.

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Edited by Amit Mishra
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