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Manchester United welcomed Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday looking to stop their arch-rivals from equalling a Premier League record of 18 straight wins. The Reds have been in blistering form this season, winning all of their first eight games in the league. They were looking to reinstate the eight point gap at the top of the table with a win against the Red Devils. It was a match up between two teams going through contrasting fortunes this season; while the visitors were flawless so far, the hosts were enduring their worst start to a league season in 30 years.
The Red Devils were dangerously close to the bottom of the table, starting the weekend at 12th place and sliding down to 14th by the end of Saturday. A defeat could see them drop one place down to 15th depending on the result of Sheffield United’s game against Arsenal on Monday. It was a scenario that was unthinkable for a club of United's stature and perhaps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer himself was aware that 10 months ago, a defeat at the hands of the same opponents had ended his predecessor’s tenure.The Norwegian opted for a change in system, lining up his team in a 3-4-1-2 formation.
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Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire,Marcos Rojo, Ashley Young; Fred, Scott McTominay, Andreas Pereira; Daniel James, Marcus Rashford.
United started the game well and took the lead in the 37th minute through Marcus Rashford. Liverpool had the ball in the back of the United net just before the break but VAR ruled it out as Sadio Mane had handled in the build-up to the goal. The home side went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Liverpool buckled up in the second half and pressed United back to the wall, eventually scoring through Adam Lallana in the 85th minute. The game ultimately ended 1-1, and Solskjaer was left to rue United’s missed chances.
Despite the draw, the Norwegian will be pleased with the performance of his team. He will be particularly happy with the efforts of these five men, who helped stop Liverpool.
#5 Fred
The Brazilian had cut a sorry figure of late on the pitch and his abilities were questioned after a series of no shows. However, the lack of able replacements meant that Solskjaer continued to put his trust in Fred and even opted to use him against Liverpool. And it is safe to say that the Brazilian redeemed himself on the day.
Fred complemented McTominay in the middle of the park and the two of them worked extremely hard to keep Liverpool at bay. The Brazilian even attempted a shot but dragged his shot wide.
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#4 Andreas Pereira
Andreas Pereira had one of his best performances in the United shirt against Liverpool. The Brazilian was allowed a rare opportunity to play in his preferred central position in the team and Pereira made most of it. His control aggression was just what the doctor ordered for United and it helped the home team establish authority in the game.
Pereira was the most hard-working player on the pitch, continuously closing down the opposition and engaging with the Liverpool defense. He was confident enough to even go toe-to-toe with Virgil van Dijk on quite a few occasions and his energy helped unsettle the Liverpool team.
The Brazilian played a crucial role at both ends of the pitch. He dropped down and increased the numbers in midfield whenever United lost the ball and it was while going forward that Pereira showed his qualities. He combined admirably with Marcus Rashford and Daniel James and looked completely at home in the central attacking role. Solskjaer must use him in the No. 10 position more often.
#3 Daniel James
The Welshman had a lot of freedom on the pitch thanks to Solskjaer’s change in formation and he made the most of that. Daniel James started in the forward left position but floated across the front-line throughout the game. He worked very hard on the pitch, pressing the Liverpool back-line and closing down the opposition all through the game. The Welshman’s speed caused the away defense quite a few problems as Solskjaer resorted to counter-attacking tactics.
James also had a few chances to score himself but could not get on the scoresheet. However, his overall performance was near perfect, as the Welshman dropped deep, initiated counter-attacks and ran at the opposition defense whenever United gained possession of the ball. His desire and determination enabled United to peg the away side back, as James needed no invitation to bomb forward. From one such run, he set up United’s goal, sending in a delightful cross for Marcus Rashford to score from.
#2 Scott McTominay
Even during such a shortage of midfielders at Manchester United this season, the one silver lining has been Scott McTominay. In the Scottish footballer, Ole Gunnars Solskjjaer has discovered a new midfield general who has added much-needed steel in the middle of the park for United. Against Liverpool too, McTominay was in fine form and dominated the midfield for much of the game.
The Scottish midfielder had his hands full with the tried and tested Liverpool midfield combination of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum. However, Scott McTominay dealt with the threat pretty well. He was stellar with his pressing and shielded his back-line with gusto for most of the game.
McTominay burst forward on a couple of occasions in the first half and even tested Alisson with a shot on goal. And it was his quick thinking that helped United unlock Liverpool in the first half. McTominay unleashed Daniel James with a smart pass and the Welshman set up Rashford to score the first goal of the game. Even though United failed to secure all three points, Scott McTominay was impressive once again.
#1 Marcus Rashford
The Englishman had been under a lot of pressure of late because of his inability to score. Rashford had found the net on international duty, so he was coming into the game with a bit of confidence. Perhaps the biggest reason for his lack of influence in the United team of late was a change of position. Injury to Anthony Martial had forced Solskjaer to use Rashford as a No. 9 and he had looked uncomfortable in the role. Against Liverpool, a change of formation meant that the Englishman had a lot of freedom to drift out wide and it worked out quite well for him.
Rashford did not see too much of the ball on the day but when he had the ball at his feet, he put the Liverpool back-line under pressure. Because United played on the counter, the Englishman had a lot of room to run into and looked every bit the player who was devastating during Solskjaer’s initial days. His movement was good and he dragged Virgil van Dijk out wide on a few occasions to create space in the middle for his teammates. In the 36th minute, Rashford sent Old Trafford into frenzied celebrations when he got to the end of a Daniel James cross and finished well to give United the lead.
