Football News: Manchester United vs Liverpool: A review

A huge game, a semi-final at stake, a dramatic game, a thrilling conclusion. Manchester United had the better first minutes, then Liverpool turned the screw. They did not make dominance pay though and opened the door for a United comeback. The last 15 minutes and subsequent extra time were very open, but United's countering proved effective, and Liverpool conspired to throw the game away.

Manchester United:

Started at a furious pace, pressed hard, got a goal, and really dominated proceedings. Still looked vulnerable defensively, but did not let Liverpool come onto them. As soon as they did they were punished and looked listless for long periods. They started to play on the counter more and more and this lead to clearer chances and more troubles more Liverpool, ultimately punishing them and winning the game.

Their game plan was good and, though a huge gulf in class between the teams exists, it was not apparent. Mainoo looks a hell of a player, and Rashford caused Liverpool serious issues again. Whilst not exactly deserved winners they carved out a ton of chances, and finished them. A big result and one which may kickstart their run in.

Liverpool:

Once again slow out of the blocks and immediately they were punished. However things gradually improved and by half time, albeit somewhat fortuitously, they were 2-1 up. Second half they were dominant and in complete control but did not make the dominance pay and, inevitably, United got themselves back into the match.

Extra time saw the team look particularly tired, but even then they took the initiative and went ahead 3-2. Unfortunately it is hard to legislate for individual error, and Nunez's was an absolute howler which gifted them an equaliser. The final conceded goal was equally poor and again smacked of poor decision making, from both Elliott (who should not have shouted Endo to leave it), and the entire team (for throwing so many players forward with barely any time remaining).

They will analyse this game and see a litany of things they can improve upon, game management being one, but finishing being the key issue. So many excellent opportunities were squandered either due to bad passing, bad decision making, or bad finishing, and our ability to create huge amounts of chances, but not bury teams has been a common theme this season. We are playing excellent football a lot if the time, but I believe we should have beaten both City and United, and we ended up beating neither.

Player ratings:

Kelleher - 6 - it may be harsh, but I cannot help but compare him to our missing number 1 and, in this particular game, find him falling short. I think he can make a better save to move the ball away from danger for the first goal, I don't think Anthony's shot was that good, or really accurate, for the second. Third was out of his control but fourth he could've tightened the angle and made it harder. Put it this way, I don't think Alisson concedes those 4 goals. Distribution was not particularly great either.

Quansah - 7 - thought he did very well, made tackles when he had to, went on a few really good runs forward, and had a good game. The issue was he was really not helped by Gomez rampaging forward and it left him having to cover gaps time and time again. It unsettled the entire backline and was certainly a factor in the first goal.

Van Dijk - 6.5 - he is the captain, but he never really had our defence working well together. He did make some good tackles, headers, etc, but for too long he left responsibility on others. It's not that he played badly, it's that as captain he has to do more.

Gomez - 5 - in his defence, I do think his poor play was in large part being asked to fulfil that inverted fullback role. It left him miles up the pitch and gave United easily exploitable gaps to hit. I mean it basically created their game plan for them. He did get beaten one on one a few times too, and was at fault for the first goal. Was also guilty of hitting long balls forward that found no one but Onana. I really don't see the point of trying to make a player who clearly does not have the skill set of Trent play like Trent.

Robertson - 6 - kept on getting forward too but, unlike Gomez, seemed to have a better understanding of when to hold back. Had a decent chance to score, had numerous chances to put dangerous crosses in. Did not quite have the quality we are used to seeing, but he was good defensively and we looked worse after he went off.

Endo - 8 - probably our best player, he was relentless in the tackle and never stopped harassing them. What I really like is how well he reads the game, it seems to allow him to always be in the right position to pick the ball up. He has also got into the habit of playing the ball quickly and it really helps us when we are in transition. His only weakness is he struggles against pace, and he was caught out once or twice, but overall another excellent game.

Mac Allister - 7 - like the entire midfield, he was overrun by United's excellent start and struggled to get going. When he finally did, he was running the show and doing everything in midfield. He got a goal, he was making tackles, another excellent performance. His yellow card put the shackles on him a bit and he was not quite as influential after that, but it was still a good game from him.

Szobozlai - 6.5 - really struggled to impose himself first half and found his time on the ball quite limited. Second half he was playing it around more, getting shots off, just having a much bigger impact on proceedings. Then he was subbed off. Based on the first half, I would have subbed him, but his influence was clearly growing so I found it a strange decision to hook him.

Diaz - 7 - he created chances, kept them on their toes, tracked back and helped defensively, he was solid. Was extremely tired by the end so his substitution made sense (especially after Klopp said post match that he may of had a niggle). A good game again, but no end product which is what we needed to kill the game off.

Salah - 6.5 - had a beautiful volley go just wide, scrambled a goal in, and had numerous chances on goal. His shooting wasn't at its best and his passing actually broke down our attacking play multiple times. I can see why he was subbed, and I would have subbed him too, though in hindsight maybe it wasn't the correct call.

Nunez - 6 - I actually thought he had a good game, he was lively, he got at their back line, he had a few good chances and he linked up well. He was clearly running on empty by extra time and should have come off, but that does not excuse his awful play that gifted them an equaliser. There were many better, simple options about, yet he picked the worst one. Hopefully he learns from it.

Subs:

Bradley - 6.5 - really tough game to be brought into, I think starting him would have made much more sense and I think he would have done better than Gomez. Defended well but was under pressure and did get beaten a few times too. I think he is a better right back, especially if needing to more attacking, than Gomez. Strange decisions from the coaching staff.

Gakpo - 2 - woeful. Realistically what did he offer or do when he came on? Continually took far too many touches on the ball, didn't win much in the air despite his size, didn't link up play well at all, didn't get any sort of notable shots off. He really is making us look worse when he plays in these sorts of games. Never thought I'd want Jota back so much.

Elliott - 6 - thought he came on and did well. Good touches, good aggression, tried to make things happen going forward, but was thwarted as much by his team mates as by opposition players. He was completely at fault for their fourth goal though. He shouted for Endo to leave it when he should have ran off Endo and given him an out ball. Instead he lost possession and they broke to win it. In those key areas you have to make the right decisions, I am sure he will do better in the future.

Tsimikas - 5 - did very little when coming on and didn't really offer enough quality in his delivery. We do miss Trent's ability on the ball as none of our other fullbacks really have the same quality or consistency.

Clark - n/a - came on very late and had little impact on proceedings. I thought Danns would've been a better shout but what do I know?

Klopp - for the first time in a long time I thought he got a lot of things wrong. Trying to force Gomez into the inverted fullback role contributed to our dire first 30+ minutes. Even the decision to start Gomez over Bradley made little sense to me. The team did not take advantage of their dominance second half and this will again be a frustration for him.

After the match he said he was proud of the boys and that they gave everything but, behind closed doors, he must be seething. They were gifted goals that just should not happen and he will rightfully expect better from experienced first team players like Nunez and Elliott. His substitutions made no sense either as Szobozlai was really starting to run the game, and Robertson was playing reasonably well, and we did not look as good after their departures.

Salah's substitution looks like a mistake in hindsight, but I think there was enough reasons to justify it. To put so many players forward on a corner that late in a game, with players clearly fatigued, was not smart, and I think that lack of game management was a factor in us losing. This is not a good one right before a break, and we will need a quick response from the players when they come back.

Officials:

Whilst there were no howlers it was another game in which it felt like every 50/50 decision would be given in United's favour. The epitome of this when was when Fernandes lunged in forcefully, made contact with the player, was already on a yellow card, and received nothing - that challenge was reviewed by VAR as a possible red. By itself I would be ok with that, were it not for Gomez being booked not two minutes later for a similar, but much cleaner challenge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting Liverpool lost because of officials, absolutely not, I just thought it was noteworthy that the decisions tended to favour United.

Conclusions:

The only silver lining for Liverpool is that they can focus a little more on the league. An extra two games probably wouldn't have made any difference, but given the injury woes it could actually be beneficial. I cannot lie, I am really disappointed we are out, and really disappointed in the way we went out. We should have put them away second half but didn't. Profligate finishing, individual errors, and conceding goals at bad times all contributed and they will look back on this as a missed opportunity.

They now need to come back after the international break on fire, and put this result out of mind. Credit where it is due as well, United played well, took their chances, and utilised an effective game plan. I thought Liverpool should have won, but it was hardly a smash and grab by United, and they had big misses of their own. Very deflating right now, but still huge prizes to play for, the team needs to play at their best if they want more silverware.

Written by Seano_ March 18 2024 08:46:46