This season's second Premier League "Double Red Club" did not present a one-sided trend like the first leg. Manchester United took the lead in the second half and quickly turned the score around with two goals from Liverpool. Diawara "saved the day" again, and both sides had to settle for a draw, each taking a point from Anfield.
For Manchester United, this was a very important game. Prior to this, they had suffered three consecutive defeats in the Premier League without scoring a single goal. Statistics show that if Manchester United were still unable to score and lost to Liverpool, it would be the first time in over a hundred years of team history that they experienced four consecutive defeats without scoring, with the last such occurrence happening a year before Old Trafford, the Theater of Dreams, was even completed.
Unsurprisingly, Rashford did not appear on the squad list, with Amorim citing "injury" as the reason, although everyone knew the real deal. Similarly, the controversial Garnacho did not start but came on as a substitute for Menu in the second half, with his positive performance seemingly reassuring everyone that Garnacho had not yet become another Rashford.
Continuing to bench the top scorer of the league this season, Amorim made it clear to the outside world that he had decisively made his choice, sending a clear signal that Rashford could not stay!
Although Rashford has been out for some time, Manchester United's performance has been quite poor, but they were able to turn the tide against Manchester City, draw with Liverpool, and narrowly lose to Tottenham, which makes people feel that even without the so-called "Crown Prince," the team still has the strength to challenge any traditional powerhouse and will not be paralyzed by the absence of a single player.
Looking at Liverpool, many fans attribute the loss of three points to Arnold, as both of Manchester United's goals broke through in his defensive area. More unsatisfactory is that facing the opponent's attack, Arnold not only made a passing error but also often circled around Manchester United's players, watching quietly from the sidelines as if he had bought a spectator ticket to watch the intense match up close.
Arnold's "strolling" is similar to Rashford's, and Amorim has made his choice. This time, it seems to be Liverpool's turn, with Sloth needing to consider how to consolidate their leading advantage in the second half of the season. Strolling is absolutely unacceptable; think about last season when Liverpool completely lost hope of winning three championships after being targeted twice by Manchester United. Such a tragedy must not be repeated.
Some may argue that this is because Arnold is distracted by transfer rumors or afraid of getting injured and thus refrains from making big moves. However, in a strong matchup, a match touted as the "National Derby," shouldn't one give their all to do their best to win the trust of Real Madrid?
Liverpool legend Carragher believes that Real Madrid hopes to find a replacement for Carvajal, and favoring Arnold is a natural story. If Arnold does not leave Anfield and can lead the team to challenge Manchester United's 20 top-flight league titles, he has the ability to become the team captain in the future.
However, Manchester United seems to know that Arnold is leaving and is attacking in this direction. Arnold has disappointed everyone and indirectly put more defensive pressure on his young teammate Konate. As a result, Liverpool easily gave their opponents scoring opportunities, and Carragher feels that Sloth should have substituted "Route 66" earlier instead of waiting until the score was leveled.
Look at Diawara, who was once loaned to other teams but fought hard in every game after returning to Manchester United, striving for every opportunity that appeared. Last season against Liverpool, he scored the goal that turned the score around, and in this game, he also scored the equalizer. Additionally, he was responsible for the comeback against Manchester City and, in the dying moments against Tottenham, scored a goal and provided an assist, giving the team a glimmer of hope.
Not only Manchester United but Liverpool also needs players like Diawara who are solid and unpretentious rather than "strollers" like Rashford or Arnold. To achieve better results, such players really cannot stay; leaving is the best choice for both parties.
Manchester United has made its choice, benching Rashford, and now it's Liverpool's turn. Although they only got one point, Arsenal and Chelsea also failed to win, and Lady Luck favored Liverpool. What about next time?
Sloth once said that as long as Arnold was not injured, he could start. Will he still hold onto this idea now?