“They showed…” Roy Keane delighted after Manchester United answered ‘astonishing’ pre-match rant

Roy Keane has been left delighted as Manchester United answered his rant during their 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United have left league leaders Liverpool with the points shared as Rúben Amorim’s men fought from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

The first half started with United looking confident on the ball, aiming to control the game and nullify Liverpool’s attacking threat by keeping tight.

As the tie crept on, Amorim’s men gained confidence, with Rasmus Højlund having a good chance before half-time. In the second half, United flew out of the blocks in Merseyside, with Lisandro Martínez firing past Alisson to hand Amorim a lead, assisted by Bruno Fernandes.

However, Liverpool responded through Cody Gakpo just before the hour mark, and with 20 minutes to play, Mohammed Salah buried a penalty to hand the home side a lead after Matthijs de Ligt was deemed to have handled the ball.

With the tie a 2-1 to Liverpool, Amorim chose to make an attacking change, with Alejandro Garnacho arriving on the pitch and assisting Amad Diallo to make the tie 2-2 with ten minutes to play.

In true Premier League fashion, both teams chose to throw the kitchen sink at a winning goal, but neither could find the finishing touch and the tie ended in a draw.

Keane delighted after United answer his pre-match rant

Prior to kick-off, former United captain Roy Keane launched an “astonishing” pre-match rant about United, demanding that the club’s players show some fight and desire.

“You talk about the system, the ownership…the usual stuff. But the players, every time I look at United you want United to have quality, pace, belief, and whatever. I just want a bit of passion from United, a bit of passion in their performances,” he told Sky Sports.

“You ask about can you show us some enthusiasm, some energy. You are not even seeing that from this group of players.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful what they are doing week in and week out, the results they are turning up. The excuses after the match, they are blaming everyone.

“Have a good look at yourself, turn up today. They are lacking real quality but please show some passion.”

After the game, Keane admitted that the players answered his call as they fought for a 2-2 draw in Merseyside.

“Manchester United turned up,” Keane said. “They showed a bit of passion. They did it at Manchester City recently as well.

“The argument to all of this though is that you can’t just pick and choose when you want to turn up for a game at Manchester United. I don’t think anyone would have predicted them scoring two goals today or nearly nicking it at the end. But the key is that they have to back it up.”

United have been inconsistent this season, but hopefully, this performance and result can help them kick on in 2025 and leave their poor 2024 form behind.

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