Liverpool missed out on the chance to open up an EIGHT-point lead at the top of the Premier League as they drew 2-2 at home to out-of-form Manchester United on Sunday.
The league leaders came from behind to lead 2-1 at Anfield but had to settle for a point after Amad's 80th-minute equaliser.
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It means they failed to fully capitalise on Arsenal dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, with Liverpool six points above second place, but with a match in hand.
"It will feel like an opportunity lost for Liverpool," Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender, told Sky Sports.
"They will have seen Arsenal's result last night and expected to come into this game and win. There was too much of a feeling coming into the game that Liverpool would whack Manchester United aside. People were talking about how many goals they were going to score. But it wasn't to be."
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
19 | +28 | 46 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
20 | +21 | 40 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
20 | +10 | 40 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
20 | +15 | 36 |
Slot: Man Utd played like Forest
Sunday's match was only the third time Liverpool have dropped points at home in the Premier League this season, and their head coach, Arne Slot, says Man Utd's performance was reminiscent of Nottingham Forest's win at Anfield in September.
"It feels for us as two points dropped," Slot said in his post-match press conference.
"It was a difficult game. A bit similar to maybe the Nottingham Forest game, where the playing style of both teams was quite similar. Defending in a low block with a lot of bodies and if they had the ball, not the risk of build-up but play it long. Every free-kick they got somewhere in and around their own half or our half, they brought it in, so that was a bit similar to Forest.
"That is not always easy then to play against that style of football and that’s what showed against Forest and it showed again today. Especially if they have such good, quality players that can defend so well, then it is not so easy to play it through that low block that they had.
"It’s not so easy to take control if the other team plays every ball into your last line, then the ball is constantly in the air and there’s constantly duels. That is, I think, what makes it difficult. We couldn’t control it completely because every time we had control, we had a shot on target, [Andre] Onana put the ball on the ground and hit it long towards our half. Then the ball is open.
"Of course, we had to do much better in the two goals we conceded, but that’s what every manager says, probably – [Ruben] Amorim will tell you they had to do better in the two goals we scored. Taking control against a team that plays almost every ball into your last line is not as easy as [against] another playing style.
"We weren't surprised with anything they did, they've played this style for a few weeks, maybe the only thing that was a bit different was that they mostly kicked the ball long.
"They got a big chance just before the end so we also feel a bit relieved. That might not be the story of the game overall, in my opinion - we created much more chances than them. A point is something to take, but if I look back tomorrow, I'd hope for more."
Van Dijk: It could have been worse
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was also left disappointed with the 2-2 draw but feels somewhat lucky to walk away with a point after Harry Maguire missed a big chance in the last of seven minutes of second-half stoppage time.
"It could have been a lot worse if we are absolutely honest with ourselves," Van Dijk told BBC Radio 5 Live. "They had a big chance in the end that could have been a lot worse than where we are now. I'm definitely disappointed with dropping points at home but it is what is and we have to move on and we will. We're not perfect, we're still learning and we have to learn from this as well."
On Liverpool's position in the league table, Van Dijk said: "We look at the next game. We don't look at the league table."
Keane: Liverpool should be upbeat
Despite the dropped points for Liverpool, former Man Utd midfielder Roy Keane, who won seven Premier League titles, thinks Slot's side should take the positives.
"I think Liverpool should be upbeat about it," Keane told Sky Sports. "Whatever the expectation before the game that Man Utd would get well beaten, they came here last season and got a result. Liverpool played okay today. They had good chances but could've lost it at the end. You're going to have your disappointments when you're trying to win league titles, when you turn up and expect to win and it doesn't happen.
"Arsenal would be disappointed last night, look where Man City are. Chelsea, teams will drop points. But the key for Liverpool was getting something out of the game, don't lose it, take the positives. Man Utd were always going to produce a performance at some point, but if I was the Liverpool manager tonight, my message would be that we'd take a point, move on."
Slot: Speculation didn't affect Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool's star right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold had a tough match against Man Utd, who directed 53 per cent of their attacks down the left wing and often doubled up on the defender with Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.
Alexander-Arnold's contract expires in the summer and the 26-year-old continues to be linked with a move to Spanish side Real Madrid.
Slot says transfer speculation did not have any impact on Alexander-Arnold on Sunday.
"I don’t believe in those things," Slot said. "I think nine out of 10 people will tell you it affected him but I am one of the 10 that tells you I don’t think that affected him. What affected him was that he had to play Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, who are two starters for Portugal. Great, great, great players. We have a fantastic player here with Diogo Jota and mostly he is not playing for Portugal. That tells you how much quality United have and if these players set themselves to a game, and that is what United once in a while do, then it is very difficult to play against them.
"That is more difficult for Trent to play against Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot than the rumours there were during the week. That’s my opinion and probably everybody will tell you it had to do with the rumours. My opinion is different.
"It wasn’t that he had to play them on his own, against those two, because Ryan [Gravenberch] was nine out of 10 times close to that situation. But he was many times faced in a one-v-one situation against those players. Now, I always tell you how difficult it is for the other team to be in a one-v-one situation against Mo Salah or against Cody Gakpo, Lucho Diaz or all the other ones we have. These players also have special qualities; I think the best way you could see this was the last 10 to 15 minutes. In the first 70 to 80 they almost played every ball long, but after the 2-2, the game was completely open and then you could even see even better how much quality they have if they try to play the ball over the ground.
"It was clear that Trent had some difficult moments, as we as a team had, but that is also for Trent not the first time. I think for the majority of the games he played for this club, they were very, very, very good, but I can’t believe if people tell me that he’s never played a bad game for this club."
Carragher: Slot got it wrong and Liverpool need a full-back
Former right-back Carragher made 737 appearances for Liverpool and won numerous trophies with the club, including a UEFA Champions League. He says Slot made a mistake in keeping Alexander-Arnold on for so long on Sunday, and that Liverpool need to sign a full-back - even if Alexander-Arnold signs a new contract.
"Trent Alexander-Arnold was really poor. He will be a lot better than that and Conor Bradley is fantastic," Carragher told Sky Sports.
"The manager is brilliant at making changes. You go back to the first game of the season and he brings Quansah off at half-time. He identifies things in the first half and changes it. I think he got it wrong today, I think he took too long to take Trent off. I'd have seen how the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half went, but as soon as the first Man Utd goal went in, I think he should've come off.
"Liverpool need to sign a full-back. I think they need a left-back. I just think Andy Robertson, who is an absolute legend, is just hanging on in every game. I don’t think Konstantinos Tsimikas is quite of the standard to come in and replace him.
"I think if Liverpool could get a left-back in January, I think that’d put Liverpool in a really strong position to win the league."
On if Alexander-Arnold's performance had anything to do with transfer speculation, Carragher added: "The game couldn't have gone much worse for him, there was always going to be focus on him.
"I was expecting him to put in a performance he has put in so often where he dominates the game from right-back. He's a playmaker. I felt Man Utd's system would play into his hands, there'd be a lot of space to get his head up and put crosses in.
"I thought he'd be thinking about how everyone's talking about him negatively, and that he'd put in a really big performance. He was poor defensively, but there was nothing going forward on the ball.
"Only he knows if the talk affected him, but the fact he was so poor in the first game after Real Madrid put a bid in tells me it must have affected him."
