Philippe Coutinho came close but the visitors disappointed as Liverpool were forced to settle for a point against a resolute United defence.

Philippe Coutinho and Emre Can came closest for the hosts, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed wide with the Red Devils’ best chance.

Liverpool

Loris Karius: Never had a save to make but still looked shaky on a couple of occasions coming for a cross and then misplacing a simple pass. 6

Nathaniel Clyne: Tried to give Liverpool width against a packed defence but was tracked every inch of the way by Ashley Young. 5

Joel Matip: Another defender not to be really troubled and had enough time on the ball to be able to bring it out to start attacks. 6

Dejan Lovren: Comfortable enough performance from the Croatian, who had a relatively easy night against Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 6

James Milner: Usual above-average performance from Milner and gave Marcus Rashford plenty to think about rather than vice-versa. 6

Emre Can: His lack of match action looked to be an issue in the first half but he improved as the game went on. 6

Jordan Henderson: Plenty of possession in midfield but few options to utilise. Solid enough. 6

Philippe Coutinho: Struggled initially in a deeper-than-usual midfield position but looked Liverpool’s greatest threat when restored to his more advanced role and his shot produced the save of the game. 7

LFC MUFC

Sadio Mane: Was quiet until the latter stages but did not really penetrate as Klopp would have wanted. 5

Daniel Sturridge: Not much of a supply line for him but not really on it when the ball did come his way. 4

Roberto Firmino: Busy performance from the Brazilian as always and he improved when moved into the centre-forward position in the second half. 6

Substitutes

Alberto Moreno (on for Milner, 85): No time to make an impact. 5

Adam Lallana (on for Sturridge, 60): Livened things up and provided the creative spark missing for the first hour. 7

Divock Origi (on for Firmino, 85): Not give much of a chance to break the stalemate. 5

Manchester United

David de Gea: Was the busier of the two goalkeepers but that was not saying much. Produced one brilliant save from Coutinho and another good stop from Emre Can. 7

Antonio Valencia: Held his position along the back four and did not get forward but did the job he was asked to do. 5

Eric Bailly: His physicality proved important at times but was rarely tested at close-quarters. 6

Chris Smalling: Kept Daniel Strurridge on a tight leash and ensured there was no way through the middle. 6

Daley Blind: Was fortunate to find Mane on one of his quieter days but even then did not look too convincing. 5

Paul Pogba: Failed to impose himself on a game in which his side were mainly intent on damage limitation but disappointing none-the-less. 4

Ander Herrera: Probably United’s best player, patrolling the midfield with energy and control to stifle the space. 7

Maroune Fellaini: Included to do the defensive work but was relatively anonymous. 4

Ashley Young: Spent most of his time tracking back to make a back-six when Liverpool were in possession and offered little going forward. 5

Marcus Rashford: Was never in the game from the start and rarely had a chance to run at Milner. 4

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Had United’s best – and probably only – chance but guided a far post headed back across an empty six-yard box instead of on target. 5

Substitutes

Wayne Rooney (on for Rashford, 77): Given little time to make an impact and did not.

Luke Shaw (on for Young, 90): Sent on as a time-wasting tactic. 4

 

SOURCE:TEAMTALK