On January 6, a focus match of the 20th round of the Premier League ended with a 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield. This was the first time since 2015 that Manchester United had scored two goals at Anfield, and the draw left Manchester United fans very satisfied.
The first half was intense but goalless. In the second half, just after the opening minutes at 52 minutes, Manchester United made a fine combination in the front court, with B fee assisting Lima to blast a shot from a small angle and take the lead 1-0. However, Liverpool quickly responded with an equally fine combination, as McAllister assisted Gakpo to equalize at 1-1.
At 70 minutes, De Ligt made a mistake in defense for Manchester United, handling the ball and conceding a penalty. Salah converted the penalty for Liverpool to score two goals in succession, taking the lead at 2-1. Surprisingly, just ten minutes later, Manchester United broke through Liverpool's right flank again, with Garnacho assisting Diawara, who directly shot to level the score. The game ultimately ended in a draw.
Post-match statistics showed that possession was even between the two sides, with Liverpool having 19 shots to Manchester United's 13. Another impressive statistic for Manchester United was their 20 successful tackles, indicating a very active performance that strongly disrupted Liverpool's offense. As a result, Manchester United did not seem to be at a disadvantage on the field, despite being 14th in the league facing the top team. In the final moments, Manchester United even had a chance to win, but the ball was hit high.
Liverpool may have been mentally unprepared for this match, perhaps not expecting Manchester United to play such football this season. The player with the poorest performance for Liverpool was Arnold, with many fans questioning why Real Madrid would sign such a player. His poor performance was a significant reason for Liverpool's draw. However, Salah was the best player on the field, scoring one goal and making 56 touches with 31 passes and 24 successful passes, his positive performance was certainly commendable.
Manchester United's good performance in this match was closely related to Bruno Fernandes' outstanding performance. Although he did not score, he provided one assist and revitalized Manchester United's attack, earning an 8.4 rating, the highest of the match. In a fan poll, 33% believed that B fee deserved the title of best player. After the match, Manchester United coach Amorim stated that there were many reasons for Manchester United to draw with the league leaders, but the most important was mentality, a competitive mentality. He also mentioned that everyone at Manchester United (previously) was too comfortable. Perhaps this is the crux of the matter, as the slack Manchester United played very tightly in this match, with everyone fighting hard, just as B fee said, everyone was focused tonight, more like a team, a fighting team.
Who has delayed Manchester United? Perhaps this match against Liverpool can reveal something.