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| Andreas Pereira |
Manchester
United traveled to Anfield on Sunday knowing that a win could bring them within
2 points of Chelsea in the 4th place. With the Blues losing to
Newcastle United on Saturday and almost all other contenders for the coveted 4th
spot, except for Wolverhampton Wanderers, stuttering, it was a chance for the Red Devils to
steal a march on their rivals.
However, it
was going to be easier said than done, because their opponents on Sunday had
not lost a game in the Premier League all season. Liverpool were running away
with the Premier League title and had registered 20 wins in their 21 games so
far, with the one solitary draw coming against Manchester United in the reverse
fixture at Old Trafford.
To make
matters worse for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Marcus Rashford was ruled out for the match
after picking up an injury in the midweek FA Cup replay against Wolverhampton
Wanderers. With Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay already ruled out, Manchester
United were missing at least 3 first team members ahead of the game. This meant that the Norwegian had to shuffle his tactics to stop Liverpool.
Solskjaer attempted to made do with the best at his disposal, and named his
first eleven accordingly.
Manchester United
Starting XI: David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka,
Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Brandon Williams; Fred, Nemanja Matic, Andreas
Pereira; Daniel James, Anthony Martial
The
visitors started the game well but were undone by some slack defending as
Virgil van Dijk scored the opening goal of the game in the 14th
minute. Manchester United had a strong end to the first half but went into the
break with a goal behind.
At the start of the second half, Liverpool threw the
kitchen sink at the away side, but United held on and even started gaining
control of the game. However, the equalizer eluded them and then Mohamed Salah
scored with virtually the last kick of the game to give Liverpool a memorable
2-0 win.
Solskjaer
will be disappointed with the defeat against Liverpool, and he would also be
unimpressed by the performance of these 3 men, who were poor for the Red
Devils.
3. Daniel James
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| Daniel James |
The
Welshman had drifted away from the limelight after breaking into the scene at
the start of the season. However, James has been a fantastic addition to this
Manchester United team this season and while his goalscoring boots have gone
missing of late, his work ethics and tenacity has been noteworthy. With Marcus
Rashford out of the game, Solskjaer had hoped his Welsh speed merchant would
rise to the occasion. However, it was not to be.
James
looked lively from the start of the game but suffered from indecision in the
final third. His combination with Anthony Martial failed to strike gold and
some of the Welshman’s final passes were not impressive. He did continue to
work hard for the team, but did not have the effect that Solskjaer would have
liked while going forward.
2. Brandon Williams
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| Brandon Williams |
The
youngster had shown a lot of fire in his belly of late and would have been one
of the first names on the team list against Liverpool. There were talks of
Williams overtaking Luke Shaw as United’s first-choice left-back at the moment,
but both players made it to the team sheet as Solskjaer opted for a change in
formation.
However,
while Luke Shaw put in a rock-solid shift for the team as a part of a
make-shift back 3, Williams failed to cut a mark in the match. The youngster
struggled to deal with Trent Alexander-Arnold and had to count on Luke Shaw to
bail him out on a couple of occasions.
Going forward
too, Williams was a shadow of his former self, with perhaps the weight of the
occasion getting to him. The youngster did not carry his usual threat going
forward and did not put the Liverpool right-back under any pressure at all.
Williams was subsequently replaced by Juan Mata, as Solskjaer opted for a
change in shape.
1. Andreas Pereira
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| Andreas Pereira |
The Brazilian
was drafted back into the first team against Liverpool, as Solskjaer hoped to make
good use of his intensity and tenacity in the final third. Pereira was utilized
in the No. 10 position, as the Norwegian opted to keep Juan Mata on the bench
despite his stellar record against Liverpool.
Pereira did
show glimpses of his tenacious side and led the charge with his aggression,
however, he lacked the intensity that was required against a well-drilled
Liverpool side. The Brazilian failed to put the Liverpool backline under any
sort of pressure and looked a tad off the pace for the majority of the game.
The
Brazilian’s final pass also left a lot to be wanted. United had a couple of
good chances on the break and Pereira failed to complete easy passes to his
front men. He even had a great opportunity to score after he was teed up by
Wan-Bissaka, but Pereira was unable to convert a chance that could have turned
the tide of the game.
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