Liverpool 0-0 Man Utd: Jurgen Klopp’s perfect Anfield record over as resolute United deny them top spot with draw

Liverpool missed the chance to move back to the top of the Premier League as Manchester United held them to a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side pushed throughout in a game they were heavily favoured to win but found United in resolute mood. Erik ten Hag’s team might even have won it on the counter-attack had Alisson not saved from Rasmus Hojlund in the second half.

Virgil van Dijk’s header in the first half and Luis Diaz’s header after the interval were as close as Liverpool came to the breakthrough. Even Diogo Dalot’s red card in stoppage time did not help them.

They drop to second in the Premier League table, their perfect home record at an end. United are seventh. Ten Hag heartened.

Player ratings

Liverpool: Alisson (7), Alexander-Arnold (6), Konate (7), Van Dijk (7), Tsimikas (6), Endo (6), Szoboszlai (5), Gravenberch (6), Salah (6), Nunez (5), Diaz (6).

Subs: Gomez (6), Gakpo (6), Elliott (n/a), Jones (n/a).

Man Utd: Onana (7), Dalot (7), Varane (8), Evans (7), Shaw (7), Mainoo (7), Amrabat (5), McTominay (5), Antony (6), Hojlund (5), Garnacho (5).

Subs: Rashford (6), Pellistri (n/a), Mejbri (n/a).

Player of the match: Raphael Varane.

How the game unfolded

It was a noisy Anfield during the early moments, in front of the biggest Liverpool crowd inside the stadium for half a century following the opening of the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand. Attacking the Kop, there were three corners inside four minutes.

United had to withstand that pressure and did so by cleverly stalling for time over goal-kicks to take the sting out of the game. They were helped by Liverpool being surprisingly loose in the final third, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai overhitting passes.

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Andre Onana pushes away Virgil van Dijk’s powerful header to keep it level

There were still opportunities. Van Dijk forced a good save from Andre Onana when he connected with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s right-wing corner. Ibrahima Konate might have done better with a similar chance but United managed to make it to the break.

Team news

The pattern continued after the interval but there was a moment for United when Kobbie Mainoo’s cleverly disguised pass almost found Alejandro Garnacho free in the left channel but Alexander-Arnold did just enough to put the winger off as he was ready to shoot.

Klopp changed things in the hope of finding the breakthrough, moving Alexander-Arnold into midfield and throwing on Cody Gakpo. It almost brought an instant reward when Salah set up the England man, his shot wrongfooting Onana but going just wide.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold fires a low effort just wide as Liverpool pushed

The changes opened the game up, Salah picking up much more dangerous positions. But there was another warning for Liverpool when Hojlund, so starved of the ball throughout, found space inside the box but saw his shot saved by Alisson.

Smart play by Salah almost led to Diaz beating Onana but the goalkeeper was off his line to smother and then Konate turned well inside the box from the resulting corner but shot straight at the Manchester United man. Liverpool kept pushing.

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Andre Onana got out to deny Luis Diaz the breakthrough goal for Liverpool

There was a handball shout against Luke Shaw and a Joe Gomez shot that struck the side-netting. Gakpo headed over and there was even the drama of Dalot’s red card for two quick-fire acts of dissent, but Liverpool’s perfect home record is no more.

It was just a point for Ten Hag. But it was a precious one in the context of their European exit in midweek and the pressure that had been building. His team showed some spirit and it was the away support doing the singing as the crowds trudged away from Anfield.

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A frustrated Diogo Dalot is shown a second yellow card late on The key stats

What’s next?

Liverpool play West Ham in a Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, 8pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports.

Manchester United also play West Ham next in the Premier League, on Saturday 23 December, 12.30pm kick-off.