Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United: 3 Key observations from the game | Premier League 2019-20

#2 United tweaked their starting formation to have more solidity in defence

David de Gea

Manchester United started with a 3-5-2 formation, with Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw playing as the 3 central defenders while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams as the two wing-backs. It was done to deal with the high-press of the Liverpool front three. An extra man in the defensive third allowed them to deal with the onslaught of the Liverpool forwards.

This strategy also allowed Williams to peg back Trent Alexander-Arnold, as the latter was not able to make too many overlapping runs. However, United’s set-piece defending left much to be desired, as Van Dijk lost his marker and outjumped Maguire to put Liverpool ahead.

United were also guilty of playing too many misplaced passes and lost possession too frequently. On the other hand, the Liverpool players played their passes far more accurately and were able to win 5 corners in the opening 25 minutes. Firmino had scored a second goal for Liverpool in the first half, but it was disallowed following a foul on David de Gea by Van Dijk. De Gea made some superb saves in the match to keep United in it.