Manchester United picked up a creditable draw at Anfield in a much-improved performance against arch-rivals Liverpool.
The game was under threat on Sunday morning due to heavy snowfall in the North West of England. However, the snow was cleared, and the match went ahead as planned.
What didn’t go to plan was the one-sided affair many pundits and punters had expected, as Ruben Amorim’s side delivered a confident, resilient display.
Lisandro Martínez gave United the lead after 52 minutes with a thunderous finish before Liverpool fought back to get their noses in front through Cody Gakpo and a Mohamed Salah penalty.
Nevertheless, Amad Diallo continued his excellent form under Amorim by drawing his side level with just ten minutes to go, ensuring a richly deserved share of the spoils for the Old Trafford outfit.
With much to reflect upon, here are five talking points.
Ruben’s Manchester United finally rise to the big occasion
It hasn’t been a memorable festive period for the Red Devils, but with the season of goodwill ending, Amorim’s men supplied their best display of the campaign.
United, to their credit, played some good football and created plenty of chances to score, even before Martinez eventually gave them the lead.
The Portuguese got his tactics spot on, and his side was the better of the two teams for long periods.
United may even feel a slight pang of frustration that they didn’t take all three points after Harry Maguire missed a golden opportunity in stoppage time.
Despite this, it was encouraging to see the visitors going toe-to-toe with the Premier League leaders in their backyard.
Ugarte and Mainoo excellent in midfield
With Casemiro and Christian Eriksen having been torn apart by Newcastle on Monday night, it was clear that United missed the presence of Manuel Ugarte in the engine room.
The 23-year-old Uruguay international was partnered with Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the park, and both men immediately made United look a lot more defensively solid.
The 20-time English champions were also able to take control of possession and looked far more structured than they did in their previous game.
Amorim will hope that the Ugarte and Mainoo axis can develop even further and become a reliable pairing for him going forward.
Time on the training ground can only help
Since he arrived at Manchester United in the middle of November, Amorim has hardly had any time to train with his team given the gruelling fixture schedule.
With a six-day gap between the Newcastle defeat and the trip to Merseyside, this presented the Portuguese tactician with the longest break between matches so far.
The work on the training ground seems to be paying off, with United responding well and producing an organised, well-drilled performance at Anfield.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss said his squad had trained the “basics” in the lead-up to the clash with Arne Slott’s side, and with more time to get his ideas across we will hopefully see much more to come from this team.
Diallo comes up clutch, again
With a memorable 120+1st minute winner against Liverpool last season, plus another last-gasp winning goal against Manchester City before Christmas, Amad Diallo added an 80th-minute equaliser to his ever-growing list of crucial goals for the northern giants.
The Ivorian wide-man has been one of the best performers under the new regime, starring in a wing-back position and a more advanced forward role as he did at Merseyside.
The former Atalanta youngster took his goal well and is fast becoming one of United’s key players.
He will hope to continue his rise in the coming weeks and months, as will the club’s supporters.
Martinez produces improved performance
After being handed the captain’s armband against Newcastle, Martinez was poor as his side fell to a disappointing loss.
However, the World Cup-winning defender was much improved on Sunday evening and looked back to something like his best again.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring with a fantastic goal in the second half and was generally solid at the back throughout the 90 minutes, managing to keep Mo Salah quiet.
The ‘butcher’ has been a warrior-like presence in defence for the Manchester club since he signed from Ajax in 2022, but injuries and form have led to some question marks as to his future suitability.
With more performances like this, Martinez will silence any lingering doubters and remain a key man for the Reds.
What did you make of Manchester United’s morale-boosting performance against rivals Liverpool on Sunday?
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