5 Manchester United players who underperformed against Liverpool

Hoping for a miracle, Ralf Rangnick’s struggling Manchester United made the trip to Liverpool for their Premier League clash on Tuesday night (19 April).

Without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was excused following the demise of his newborn son, United lacked direction in attack and succumbed to a 4-0 loss. While Mohamed Salah bagged a brace, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane each scored once to inflict a damning defeat at Anfield.

Playing on Merseyside, Manchester United lacked the aggression and agility they needed to take the fight to the Reds. United’s passing was slow and positioning awful, while none of their star players turned up to give the club’s bitterest rivals a run for their money.

It took Liverpool only five minutes to open the scoring, courtesy of a swift counter-attack and January signing Diaz’s clinical finishing. The hosts doubled their advantage 17 minutes later, with Salah scoring his first of the match after latching onto Mane's sublime pass. Manchester United failed to dispatch even a single shot in the first half and went into the half-time break without doing anything meaningful.

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The Reds dropped their intensity in the opening stretches of the second half, allowing United some breathing room. Unfortunately, the visitors failed to capitalize on the Reds' dip, only lodging one shot on target in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.

The Merseyside giants eventually woke up from their slumber and scored their third goal through Mane in the 68th minute. Salah, who already had a goal and an assist, scored his second in the 85th minute, taking his Premier League goal tally to 22 for the season.

The defeat further dented the Red Devils’ hopes for a top-four finish this season. Unless Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal drop points at a canter, Rangnick’s United are unlikely to appear in the Champions League next term. The Old Trafford outfit are currently sixth in the standings, level on points with fifth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand. Spurs, meanwhile, are three points ahead of Ronaldo and Co. with a game in hand.

With most United stars lacking fight, we will still try and find the five players who played a part in the club's second embarrassment (5-0 loss in the reverse fixture) against Liverpool this season:

#5 Nemanja Matic

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League

Against a midfield as well-drilled as Liverpool’s, Nemanja Matic was always going to have a hard time.

The 33-year-old was slow to react, was beaten in duels, and struggled heavily to get into the game against the title chasers.

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The veteran midfielder only played 40 passes, completing 33 of them, lost five of his nine duels, ceded possession 12 times, and created zero goalscoring opportunities.

The former Chelsea man was nothing but a bystander in front of an extremely vocal Anfield crowd on Tuesday night.

#4 Victor Lindelof

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick used Victor Lindelof as the right-sided defender of his three-man backline.

The Swedish captain struggled from the first minute to the last, playing a part in two of the Reds’ four goals.

In the fifth minute, he attempted to catch Diaz offside but failed to coordinate with his teammates, allowing the Colombian a free run at goal. The Liverpool winter signing made no mistake in putting the ball into the back of the net to give the Reds an early lead.

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He also under-hit a pass to Anthony Elanga in the second half, allowing Andy Robertson to intercept and initiate a counter-attack. It led to Sadio Mane’s goal moments later as the Merseyside giants went 3-0 up and put the game to bed.

#3 Bruno Fernandes

Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes was meant to be the Red Devils’ primary creative outlet on Tuesday night. Instead, he simply acted as a body on the field, allowing the game to pass him by.

He looked dejected from start to finish as if he never believed in the cause. As a result, Liverpool toyed around with the attacking midfielder, keeping him from doing anything of note.

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At Anfield, the 27-year-old played only one key pass, completed 32 passes with 71.1 percent accuracy, and lost possession 17 times.

He also misplaced six long balls, came up short in nine duels, was dribbled past four times and booked once.

All in all, a disappointing outing from Cristiano Ronaldo's compatriot.

#2 Harry Maguire

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has faced unfathomable criticism for his sub-par showings this season. Last night, he had an opportunity to silence his critics and help his side get something out of their trip to Merseyside.

Unfortunately, the England international was once again all over the place and was nowhere to be found when his team needed him.

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He was wildly out of position for the Reds’ opening goal, allowing Mane and Salah to combine and assist Diaz’s fifth-minute opener.

The centre-back was also caught ball-watching during Liverpool’s third goal in the 68th minute. Instead of marking Mane, the Englishman simply stood and watched the Senegalese convert from a left-footed strike.

#1 Marcus Rashford

From being the club’s golden boy to going anonymous in big matches, Marcus Rashford has regressed inexplicably this season.

The England international did nothing of note against Jurgen Klopp’s side on Tuesday night and was arguably United's most ineffective player on the pitch.

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The 24-year-old completed only 11 passes with 73.3 percent accuracy, had no shots, made zero key passes, and was caught offside twice.

Half-time substitute Jadon Sancho played Rashford through on goal once in the second half, but he was not quick enough to capitalize on the opportunity.

The United academy graduate also lost seven of eight duels, ceded possession 12 times, and committed a foul.

The night could not have gone any worse for the once highly-rated forward.

Also Read: Ranking Liverpool's 5 best players against Manchester United | Premier League 2021-22