Why a point at Anfield may prove vital in Manchester United’s Premier League chase

Manchester United maintained their unbeaten away record in the Premier League after holding Liverpool to a goalless draw on Sunday. Anfield is always a daunting ground for any club to visit, but the Red Devils had their moments.

But despite coming away from Merseyside with an important point, it still felt like two points lost rather than a point gained for some Manchester United fans.

For what it’s worth, though, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side gave a good account of themselves and on another day, they could have returned with all three points. Liverpool may have dominated in possession but their rivals created the better chances.

Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba both went close to scoring, only to be denied by the brilliant Alisson Becker. Marcus Rashford’s poor decision-making also denied Edinson Cavani a one-on-one opportunity in the dying embers of the game, after the winger opted to go solo rather than pass to his Uruguayan teammate.

🗣 "A point is better than none, and we could look at it in a few weeks as a very good point."Here's what today's #MUFC Man of the Match had to say 👇 https://t.co/RZO0lUua18 pic.twitter.com/pAtr6snLUO

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 17, 2021

Manchester United are still top of the table

This was a clash between the Premier League’s top two sides and a draw will be welcomed by Manchester United more. Solskjaer’s side still lead the league table and have maintained their three-point lead over the Reds.

Although Manchester City is closing in, the point gained at Anfield might just prove to be crucial in the title race. Manchester United are very aware of this, having previously lost the title on goal difference.

As it stands, any point won against their rivals is very vital. There are those who still do not rate Manchester United as title contenders and a win against Liverpool would have totally erased those doubts.

However, it was important that they did not lose. And by doing so, the Old Trafford outfit has now gone a calendar year without losing an away game in the Premier League. This is the sort of away form that distinguishes champions from other teams.

Manchester United need to improve against ‘Big Six’

Man Utd's record against the 'Big Six' this season in the Premier League:Man Utd 1-6 SpursMan Utd 0-0 ChelseaMan Utd 0-1 ArsenalMan Utd 0-0 Man CityLiverpool 0-0 Man UtdWinless in all five games. pic.twitter.com/JoFuiXny9e

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 17, 2021

The downside of Manchester United’s latest draw against Liverpool is that the club is still winless against the Premier League’s traditional big six.

The Red Devils have failed to beat any of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City and they need to improve in the big games if they are to remain in the title race.

"We didn't deserve the three points because we didn't play well enough," Solskjaer told Sky Sports after the Liverpool game. "We didn't impose ourselves on the game, especially first half. We grew in the game and thought it was there to win in the second half and created two massive chances.

"We can play better than this, we know that. We can be more composed; we can have the ball more. We had to defend really often, and we gave the ball away too often. A couple of things we need to improve on."

Indeed, some things need to change about Manchester United and key amongst them is how the team lines up in the big games. They cannot always expect to sit back and play on the counter-attack.

Liverpool were there for the taking on Sunday, but Solskjaer adopted a conservative approach.

As the second round of the Premier League beckons, Manchester United will need to improve their form against the big sides to keep themselves in the title race.