Man United 2-2 Liverpool: Five things noticed, including MAJOR red flag

Five things we noticed as Manchester United drew 2-2 against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Erik ten Hag opted to start Marcus Rashford over Antony as Manchester United welcomed Liverpool to Old Trafford a few weeks after their famous 4-3 win in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

United started brightly, dominating in possession, and although Alejandro Garnacho had the ball in the back of the net after two minutes, he was called offside.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Liverpool (Premier League)

However, after 23 minutes, Liverpool had complete control of the tie, with Luis Diaz’s finish from a corner establishing their lead. Honestly, they should have scored more, with Ten Hag lucky to only be one goal behind at half-time.

United were handed an incredible lifeline in the second half when Jarell Amorin Quansah’s wayward pass handed Bruno Fernandes the perfect chance to score from halfway, which he took in fantastic style.

It turned the game on its head completely, and Mainoo’s curling, swivelled effort shot past Caoimhin Kelleher to hand United a beautiful and unlikely lead with 30 minutes left to play. A foul from Aaron Wan-Bissaka on

#1 – First-half terror stat

Against Liverpool, United did not have a single shot in the first half, as Garnacho’s early finish was offside.

This is the first time United have not had a single shot in the first half of a Premier League game at home since October 2015, when they drew 0-0 with Manchester City.

Even though United scored twice in the second half, their first shot of the game was a gift from halfway

#2 – Confusion in midfield

As was highlighted extensively at half-time by Gary Neville and the team at Sky Sports, United’s midfielders, Casemiro and Mainoo, were being dragged all over the place.

Both players were part of a man-marking system in the middle, but Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were happily playing deeper to force United to have a high midfield line, leaving so much space to cut through. There was even a point where Mainoo did not know who to mark at corners and had to ask Harry Maguire.

The second half did start somewhat the same, but Fernandes’ goal helped rectify this by throwing the game into a state of chaos, which very much helped United.

#3 – Kambwala holding his own

Willy Kambwala, coming in with United suffering four injuries to their centre-backs, very much rose to the occasion when needed for Ten Hag, despite the result.

One moment in the first half was very defining: Kambwala almost fed Darwin Nunez through on goal, but a brilliant recovery tackle forced Nunez to fire straight at Onana, ruining his chance.

#4 – United are best in chaos, but it’s a major red flag

The chaos that ensued following Fernandes’ one-off finish helped United get out of their rut – not just because it breathed life into their efforts, but because it forced Liverpool to change their plan.

The fact United thrive off chaos is a red flag, as it means their game plan becomes completely reactive to each individual situation that occurs on the field, showing their overall inferiority.

It’s not much of a surprise that United are the inferior team compared to the title challengers, but once again, United have to rely on the game falling apart to try and get anything from it. This will stop the team from progressing as a side, even after almost two seasons under Ten Hag.

#5 – Casemiro is a liability

At the base of midfield, Casemiro was fantastic for the opening 20 minutes, but for the remaining 70, he was so, so volatile.

Reckless challenges, wayward passes, strange decisions, being dragged around the park. It feels his decline is a steep one, and United must replace him this summer.