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Liverpool were held to an entertaining 2-2 draw by Manchester United at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday, January 5. The result sees the Reds extend their lead over Arsenal at the top to six points with a game in-hand, while the Red Devils remain 13th with 23 points from 20 matches.
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Both Liverpool and Manchester United exercised caution at the start of the game as they avoided making silly mistakes in the early exchanges. The hosts slightly edged the possession stats in the first half, but neither team created decent enough chances to be considered the superior among the two. They both created decent openings to enter the opponent's half but lacked accuracy in front of goal.
Liverpool attempted eight shots, while Manchester United attempted six shots, but they could each manage just one shot on target. With neither side looking like scoring in the first half, the game looked like a dead rubber match as the two teams were deadlocked at 0-0 at the interval.
However, the match burst into life early in the second half, with the deadlock being broken by the most unexpected player. Lisandro Martinez found himself on the edge of Liverpool's box and converted with a thumping strike after receiving a pass from Bruno Fernandes. His powerful effort left Alisson stranded as Manchester United found themselves 1-0 up after 52 minutes.
The Reds found a quick response, though, as Cody Gakpo leveled the match just seven minutes later, assisted by Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentine then earned a penalty for his team which Mohamed Salah stepped up and converted without much problem. There was still late drama in store as Manchester United leveled the contest for the second time.
Amad Diallo pounced on an error and scored to make it 2-2 in the 80th minute, breaking Liverpool hearts as they had to settle for a point. On that note, let's take a look at the Reds' player ratings.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson - 6.5/10
Alisson made just two saves in a regulation match between the sticks for Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6.5/10
He had a subpar game as he lost all his five duels. However, he made four interceptions, one clearance and one block.
Ibrahima Konate - 8/10
Konate had a great game in defence for the Reds, winning seven of eight duels at the back. He also made seven clearances, five interceptions and three blocks.
Virgil van Dijk - 6.5/10
Van Dijk won just one duel in defence, making five clearances, two interceptions and one block in an average performance.
Andrew Robertson - 6.5/10
Robertson had a decent game on the left side of Liverpool's defence. He won one duel, made three interceptions and blocked one shot.
Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10
Gravenberch had a great game for the Reds, winning four duels in midfield and making three clearances. He also played two key passes.
Alexis Mac Allister - 7.5/10
Mac Allister had a good game as he assisted one goal for Liverpool. He played one other key pass and also won seven duels.
Curtis Jones - 6.5/10
Jones had a subpar game in the middle of the park for Liverpool and was subbed off in the second period.
Mohamed Salah - 7.5/10
Salah put in another good performance as he played two key passes, won five duels and also scored from the penalty spot.
Cody Gakpo - 7/10
Gakpo had a decent game as he scored one goal with a thumping finish to make it 1-1. He also won three duels, making one clearance as well.
Luis Diaz - 6.5/10
Diaz managed just one attempt that was off-target in a subpar attacking display. However, he won five duels and played one key pass.
Substitutes
Darwin Nunez - 6.5/10
Nunez replaced Diaz in the second period but failed to get on the ball enough to make an impact on the proceedings in a subpar cameo.
Diogo Jota - 6.5/10
Jota replaced Jones in the second half but looked quite out of form and was unable to make a positive impact on the proceedings.
Harvey Elliott & Conor Bradley - N/A
The pair played less than 10 minutes apiece and hence do not warrant a rating.
