[Acole9]

It was a bit of a nothing game really, neither team deserved to win. I was quite confident going into it for a change thinking we would get the win so it's disappointing we didn't and also the way we played, so sloppy, the complete opposite of how we've played over the last few weeks. Some of the players just didn't seem up for it.

 

[christinaa]

A number of players had an off day. Still had enough chances to win the game.

Now this comment describes the game perfectly.

This is what's been lacking for us ALL season and that's why we're not up there fighting for the league title.

We're a better team than Liverpool with or without their stronger players and today we dominated them.

 

[Mountainstomolehills]

Disappointed Liverpool didn't take all three points after being in front for so long, but United did have several good chances and Mignolet did rather well, considering all the shyte he gets from everyone.

Wijnaldum had no less than 3 very good chances to make the game safe/grab a winner in the second half......shame he didn't bring his shooting boots.

Hopefully we'll be more or less back to full strength when the mighty Swansea arrive next week.

 

[2 man midfield]

What ?

Just made me laugh.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

This was the first time I thought Fellaini should have been on earlier. We should have bypassed their pressing game and weak defence with long ball tactics for much longer than the last 10 minutes.

Rooney is definitely finished as a top-flight footballer.

Yeah, I agree. It was ugly but effective. We did try to hit Ibra with long passes but they weren't sticking. Once Liverpool had two target men to mark they didn't know what to do. Crap and all as Rooney was, I'd have been tempted to bring Fellaini on for Pogba. Who was even more of a liability than our ex-captain.

 

[Grunge]

This is a game we'd have lost under similar circumstances before. This team has resilience.

Firstly, you have to give credit to Liverpool for their other worldly pressing. It was mightily impressive. People were critical of our reaction to it, but I thought we coped as well as we could.

We created several clear cut chances, but Mignolet played very, very well. NBC named him man of the match. Which says a lot.

As for the subs. The responses here were poor. Look at our equalizer. A Rooney dribble and cross for Fellaini to head onto the post, which led to the goal. It wasn't as pretty, but it worked.

Massive credit to Mourinho. Liverpool didn't let us play, and I am happy with the come back.

Well said ... Lot's of naiive posters on the caf. Always has been, always will be. It's one thing to have rose-tinted gables but a derby match against the dippers is never easy regardless of the form. We probably shouldn't have got a point at their place according to form at the time yet with a little luck Ibra might have clinched it. Put it down to smart management by Mourino. Today was hard! Credit Klopp for similar intelligence. Set his team up to counter our strengths effectively. Threw one our main men off his game. Had a goalie who played a blinder. I don't think we finished particularly poorly; Minolet's save from Mikhi was feckin' excellent! A game changer.

 

[Ban]

Which one was the one-on-one? Both the Pogba and the Mkhi chances had defenders right on their right shouder applying pressure and trying to nick the ball away. Both on their weaker foot. Mkhi's was wider to the left of the goal and still being pressured.

Not sitters or one-on-ones.

Mickhi wasn't pressured and had a clear shot.

 

[::sonny::]

I think Mourinho wanted the draw before the game

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Lots of players had poor games. Pogba had his worst in a while. Carrick struggled to cope with Liverpool's pressing. Jones and Rojo looked shaky.

We had chances. Our chance conversion has to be the worst in the league. Think a draw is a good result in the end.

 

[christinaa]

Well said ... Lot's of naiive posters on the caf. Always has been, always will be. It's one thing to have rose-tinted gables but a derby match against the dippers is never easy regardless of the form. We probably shouldn't have got a point at their place according to form at the time yet with a little luck Ibra might have clinched it. Put it down to smart management by Mourino. Today was hard! Credit Klopp for similar intelligence. Set his team up to counter our strengths effectively. Threw one our main men off his game. Had a goalie who played a blinder. I don't think we finished particularly poorly; Minolet's save from Mikhi was feckin' excellent! A game changer.

Yes, agree - and Klopp was very wary of us too.

He doesn't play his football like Liverpool played today and he was afraid of this game and our team - it showed in the way they played.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Mickhi wasn't pressured and had a clear shot.

There's pressure right there on his right shoulder, there is contact between him and the defender. And he's at about a 45 degree angle to goal on his weaker foot. That is not an "absolute sitter".

 

[christinaa]

I think Mourinho wanted the draw before the game

I Disagree !

 

[Bogga]

No, I think we played well, differing from your opinion must be joking to you?

No, everyone is entitled to their opinion... but we were wasteful. Credits to their keeper though, cause he was motm imo. But we didn't create enough chances against a very poor Liverpool side on our home pitch.

 

[ravi2]

I now remember why I can't stand seeing Rooney play for us anymore, feck he couldn't get anything right.

 

[Ban]

There's pressure right there on his right shoulder, there is contact between him and the defender. And he's at about a 45 degree angle to goal on his weaker foot. That is not an "absolute sitter".

Not an absolute sitter but a clear chance then.
Liverpool player is behind him.
Angle is a bit tough, true.

 

[ravi2]

I'll take that all day long. Was expecting a loss, we didn't play well. I dont think any team did.

I was expecting us to drop to 5th with me expecting City to win when in fact we've gained a point.

Herrera. Oh my god. So glad Firmino got a hit in. Shirt pulling knob head. Then he acts like "oh why did you hit me?" Why do you think you muppet?

Herrera was MOTM for me, you can feck right off with that shit

 

[LFC-Fans]

Herrera was MOTM for me, you can feck right off with that shit

I thought Lovren got MOTM?

 

[The Hacker]

Wasnt just Pogba, I mean he had a poor game, really poor one but he wasn't the only poor bloke on the field. Sloppy passes and play allowed them that corner which led to the penalty. Jones was dozy and Martial shouldn't have played that pass knowing they are a pressing team. Mistakes all round.

Great push from us to get that goal in the end.

Am I happy? Not overall but am I happy we got that goal back? of course!

The change since the start of the season to now is massive. If this continues we'll be absolutely fine come the run in.

 

[Zen]

Why can't Klopp get over the long ball thing? Endlessly dropping it on Sky and BBC....the ability to change up to tactics you don't like, though I don't think Mou likes any tactics, just what he thinks will win, is surely a sign of a top manager, something the Premier League demands, and a big part as to why Pep and Klopp are losing soft points.

 

[ravi2]

I thought Lovren got MOTM?

From who?
That makes no sense.

Migolet was Liverpool's best player today imo.

 

[Backrow Singer]

Good and bad bits to take away from it. Thought we showed some guts and resilience to hang in there and fight. We had a few chances, they had a few chances but the penalty obviously changed the game. Horrendously soft and stupid penalty to concede - nothing you can do to stop incidents like that.

First half we didn't keep the ball well enough but that's their game; they press high and put teams under pressure that way. Herrera, Carrick, Mkhitaryan, Pogba, they all struggled and Jose' had no option in the second half but throw on Felaini and to try and play direct. Again though we wasted some good chances and Mkhitaryan, in big games, should really be putting those away IMO. That's the difference between the greats and rest unfortunately. They had a few chances as well on the counter so there's arguments both ways.

Last year, in similar situations, I had no confidence that we'd come back and get something out of it so that's an advancement. That attitude will hold us in good stead but I still think that there are a few in that time who need to be doing more from a defensive perspective in particular.

Disappointing to concede such a soft goal and you're always going to give yourself a mountain to climb if you do things like that. I'll take a point given the situation but we really should have been looking to take the three but we blew it.

 

[Attila]

From who?
That makes no sense.

Migolet was Liverpool's best player today imo.

Sky

 

[Jazz]

Let's not worry too much about this. Bar a lack of composure we would have won, even though we didn't play as well as we could.
What the team needs to do is forget it and move on quickly. I reckon Liverpool will be dropping points and City seem a bit lost at the moment. We're still 5 points off 3rd with a quite a number of games left. So the team cannot dwell on this.
Just keep going.

 

[Denis79]

We were the better team.

 

[ManUchosenbosslvg]

Anyone know if Pogba could face a ban for the choke slam on Henderson as the officials didn't see it? I've seen players get away with similar because it wasn't in the referees match report.

 

[markhrad]

Martial was the best player on the pitch and looked dangerous everytime he had the ball.

Jose got that wrong but was right about Fellaini who dominated and Liverpool had no answer for.

We weren't as bad as many think and we were undone by a brain fart. Form goes out the window in these games.

We lost to city many times when they were shite and we were winning champions leagues.

I agree that Martial looked really dangerous but he was double and triple teamed constantly. I would like Mourinho to give him more freedom to switch wings with Mkhi and even play through the middle sometimes.
I reluctantly have to give 'pool credit for a good game strategy, they really closed us down well, not giving us much space. This affects Pogba and Carrick more than most.
I cant really crucify Pogba for his poor performance everyone can have an off day and hopefully he will learn from this game. I would not have subbed him because at anytime he can do something great and win us the game. For the same reason I would have preferred if Martial was not subbed.
All in all it was a disappointing game but top 4 is still within our reach even though those above us rarely drop points against lesser teams.
One more thing does anyone know Mata's tackling statistics? He is all over the place but I cant remember him ever tackling anyone.

 

[Grunge]

Herrera ran his socks off and was trying to carry a whole midfield. Carrick cannot cope with this type of game, Pogba was far too pumped up and needs to stop believing all his own publicity. There is being up for a game, but not to the extent that it disengages your brain.

This is a sensible perspective, well said.
Carrick took a knock early in the first half which didn't help.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

We were pretty poor overall, but we still found a way to avoid what would have been a disastrous defeat, it'll stand us in good stead moving forward, but clearly we are still not quite where we need to be yet.

Klopp for me, to get what he gets from this bunch of players, is the best manager in the prem atm.

 

[VeevaVee]

I'm not sure if it was the nerves, the dodgy performances throughout the entire pitch, or the massive packet of bon bons I ate just before the game, but I felt sick all the way through it.

In all seriousness, we were pretty shit. Our defence is awful. I don't know how anyone can say it's good enough. Rojo and Jones are always going to have dodgy moments against anyone decent and there's no defence for that (lol).
That almost every attack (against anyone) seems to mean the opposition has a decent chance on goal says it all. Luckily Liverpool were shit too.

None of our outfield players had particularly good performances really. Valencia maybe, but most of his crosses didn't make it pass the first man again. DDG is a real man of a keeper now, but we already knew that.
Our midfield is what really let us down. When we control it from midfield we make our defence look good. The only problem we have then is that the game gets slowed down in the opposition half and we struggle to score anyway. Then the oppo has one decent attack and looks dangerous as feck because of that dodgy defence. Feck it.

 

[Zen]

Fantasy PL only has Migs has making 2 saves? Is that right....Ibras free kick and Mkhi? De Gea 3, but maybe not as key.

I dunno who MoM is, but that Zlatan FK goes in a lot of time, and I think United go on to win the game if that had happened. Liverpool stifled the game big time, forcing Mou to go to long ball more or less to stifle them, then it kind of hugely opened up for 15 minutes. Lovren also a big deal to them getting a draw and not losing, one of those two really, with Zlat third I think simply for rescuing it with a bonkers header.

 

[Grunge]

Sooo annoyed by that. One of our worst performances in a long time.

Give the dippers some credit ... they're no mugs & have been playing well all season. Clever manager with clever tactics.

 

[LFC-Fans]

From who?
That makes no sense.

Migolet was Liverpool's best player today imo.

On Sky, they gave Dejan the award.

 

[Fitchett]

Back in from the match now. Draw was a fair result. Liverpool did the same as us at Anfield - stifle the home team to come away with a point. Their pressing game was very effective, three guys quickly on a red shirt as soon as we got the ball meant we couldn't settle. Long ball game was the only way to get near their penalty area, so correct pragmatic tactics from Mourinho. We were trying to win, but not good enough to overcome their pressing. Pogba was awful and that was a needless penalty to concede.

Atmosphere was rocking, with the full repertoire of Scouse insulting songs from the United faithful

Michael Oliver was his usual sh*te self, Liverpool were rarely penalised for their holding and grabbing when pressing, whereas when ever we tried the same, we were invariably conceding free kicks. Never a level playing field when this cnut is in the middle.

 

[dichinero]

Given the personnel available for both sides, that was poor and two points dropped from us. Tbh, it feels like we are flat track bullies and I seriously hope that we are better because against any opposition manager that shows the slightest bit of tactical nous, we come unstuck.

 

[APJRed]

I was really up for this one and on current form thought we would win it. However, in the end pleased we managed to salvage a point. On the positive side our second half performance showed that not only is there a will to win in the team but also a conviction that we will not be beaten and a determination to fight to the final whistle. We didn't have this under LVG. Mourinho is bringing back the United attitude cultivated under Ferguson. Notwithstanding today's result I'm feeling good about the rest of the season. We're still in the mix for a top 4 spot.

 

[NextSeason]

As Jose said, emotion overpowered the quality of the football.

Would have won if it wasn't for the silly mistakes from Jones and Pogba which lead to their goal.

Take the draw in the end and move on - plenty of games left to pick up points.

 

[Grunge]

Was a cracking match, very very tense and competitive. One which we would have won if it wasn't for the penalty (which wasn't an intentional handball even if it was amateurish defending). And despite going down a goal in the first half we always looked the most likely to score the next and get back into it. Both the team and subs were ultra attacking. Which in the end paid off with pulling back their lead in dramatic fashion to rather wild celebrations from me and some Russian in the bar. That's what United is about. Thought we might even steal the winner but we ran out of time and they managed to waste most of it.

I was worried about Carrick from the off and it turned out that he was ineffective though I thought subbing him off for Rooney was a big risk. Their pressing of our forwards while keeping a deep line was a very effective tactic which we failed to cope with in the first half. Partly because Pogba always struggles against pressing teams and him being far too riled up to play calm sensible football. Martial got triple marked because Darmian is a waste of space, which I was also concerned by from the start. Mhki was surprisingly ineffectual and missed a really good and important chance. At this level you have to finish your one on ones. Fortunately Liverpool couldn't either and De Gea was my MOTM, for both his passing and saves. Mignolet did well too, especially against Zlatan's free kick which bounced on the way. It just looked like the luck was against us.

But you make luck by making enough chances which through the substitutions and more direct play with a crowd that finally roared (fans also lost the first half) we started to dominate although at great risk to the counter. But even when we got around their box we still looked clueless as to how to break through except through poor crosses. Bring back CBJ urgently! Surprised that we made Liverpools defenders look good but really we are just poor in attack still. There's still some work to be done on this team but the attitude was right if not the calmness and creativity and clinicalness.

Hmmm 13 pages before a concise (fairly) objective evaluation. Well said Ohh Ahhh!
Amateurish defending by Pogba but Jones should receive the majority of criticism for dawdling on the ball and giving away the corner in the first place. And you are correct; there's nothing n the rules about hands & arms being in the "wrong place" just whether it's deliberate or not. That said the refs are almost always gonna give that.
Great pass from Herrera, excellent run and good effort by Mikhi I thought, but an even better save unfortunately. But like you said we relied on DDG for a similar stop late in the game.
A little harsh on Darmian I think. Yes, we need a stronger LB but he was more than adequate today especially in the first 15 minutes or so.

 

[Grunge]

let's not exaggerate.. yes I was hoping we'd win.. but we didn't play bad..
guys it's Liverpool!! it's not like a championship team or something! it's a team who's currently sitting second in the league.. you don't expect to "dominate" a game fro 90 minutes against such a team....
we played well..
during the whole first half, even though we finished it trailing, we were the best team.. we had 3 clear cut chances in that half alone..
Liverpool didn't even have one shoot at target during the first half!!! except of course for the penalty..
also that Liverpool team (who has the record number of passing in the EPL this year) has actually lost possession for the first team this term.. that must mean at least we had the upper hand.
Liverpool has been using that annoying "high-press" technique under Klopp.. every time an opponent has the ball , 2 players from Liverpool are closing him down..no matter the place on the pitch.. today 3.. even 4 players were trying to close down our players.. think couple of moment when Martial were surrounded by 4 Liverpool players! (and he still manages to fend them off and play the ball by the way which is amazing!) ..
even with their high intensity pressure, we actually coped very well.. we managed to keep the ball and play on the ground under this pressure.. except for maybe Rojo who was always clearing the ball (but that's understandable.. if you know you don't have enough composure then you'd better not try to be a smart-arse!)
we even were the ones who were pressing! .. but we were using a one-on-one technique.. which actually worked couple of times greatly like Ibra's chance for example..
on the second half we had no choice but to attack and attack... I admire Mourinho a lot for the risk he took with his changes.. it could have backfired.. taking out DM and RB and putting on 2 attacking players would and could truly be costly.. especially with how early you make those changes.. but then again we are United and we are trailing so the answer is attack attack attack... and it paid well in the end.
we created more chances in the second half.. yes Liverpool had couple of chances but still it's expected when a team commits itself to attack then the opposition will have chances on the counter.. but then again we coped well.. and De Gea didn't have to make his WC saves to bail us out this time which tells you how decent we were in defense..
yes there were couple of lapses from Jones and Rojo .. then again they managed to correct their mistakes most of the times.. other times De Gea was there.

on the other side, it as a game to forget for Pogba... and not only because of the penalty... he was wasteful in front of goal.. he lost possession constantly.. he couldn't do his usual through passes and long balls.. I think he should have been drawn in the half time.. but then again I believe Mourinho thought it'd have a bad effect on him so he chose to keep faith in him and let him continue the match.. the decision my have made Pogba a little bit calmer after he was very irritated after the goal.. but in the same time that decision wasn't fruitful enough on the pitch. Pogba continued his bad form into the second half..

Good Points:

• Created plenty of clear-cut chances against one of the top teams this term.
• Kept Liverpool attack (the strongest attack in the EPL) at bay.
• Mourinho dealt very well with the game with his substitutions in my opinion.. apart from the decision to keep Pogba.
  
• Herrera and Valencia and to some extent Martial and Mkhitaryan played well
  
• Ibra continues to "conquer England".
• Fellaini again proves his dimension is needed at times and is important in suitable times.
• 16 unbeaten game.. and going.. hopefully forever
• 2 points from city.. 5 from second... a gap can be covered in couple or maybe 3 or 4 weeks.

Bad Points:

• one of the worst games for Pogba.. if not the worst.. the way he got nervous after the penalty was a bad indication.. he should be mentally stronger than this.
• rooney again back to his usual invisible form.

So let's not be sad and pessimistic and start to say we're bad and "shite" like some other posters said...
we played well.. against a good team..
we had been unlucky.. strange Penalty.. Good form for their keeper.. even our goal was if the ball doesn't want to enter the net!
on to the next game!

Wow, two good posts I'm a row! Well said lads!

 

[Grunge]

We bottled it versus Arsenal, We bottled it versus City and we bottled it today.

I'd say we bottled it against Chelsea aswell but the truth is we actually got hammered in that one and had no chance of getting anything out of that.

Against top sides Mourinho has been a complete failure. He can do the job against lower league sides but when it is a big game he is worhtless.

And this kind of shite

 

[#07]

We bottled it versus Arsenal, We bottled it versus City and we bottled it today.

I'd say we bottled it against Chelsea aswell but the truth is we actually got hammered in that one and had no chance of getting anything out of that.

Against top sides Mourinho has been a complete failure. He can do the job against lower league sides but when it is a big game he is worhtless.

Like when we beat Spurs?