Manchester United earned an intense and hard-fought 0–0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield today.
The game had plenty of intriguing individual battles, but neither side broke the deadlock.
Erik ten Hag handed the captaincy armband to Scott McTominay as Bruno Fernandes was suspended.
Liverpool had a few decent chances to score, but Man United defended well as a unit.
The best opportunities for the hosts came via set-pieces, but their wayward shooting did not help their cause.
Diogo Dalot harshly received his marching orders from Michael Oliver in the final minute of injury time.
The referee showed two yellow cards for dissent to the right-back in the space of a few seconds.
Let’s get into some player ratings.
Player Ratings
Andre Onana – 7/10
Onana had a few nervous moments, but that is expected from a visiting goalkeeper at Anfield.
He made some decent saves and pulled off a trick against Darwin Nunez, which drew a massive cheer from Man United fans.
Diogo Dalot – 8/10
It was a surprising call from Ten Hag to start Dalot ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is more defensively sound.
Dalot repaid the Dutchman’s faith by putting on a sublime performance. Oliver sent him off for claiming a throw-in, which he actually won in the first place.
Jonny Evans – 8/10
The veteran leveraged all his experience tonight to earn a clean sheet. He didn’t really put a foot wrong and read the game perfectly.
Raphael Varane – 9/10
Man of the Match. Varane put on a defensive masterclass and showed why Ten Hag was wrong not to start him for a few continuous weeks. He marshalled the troops well.
Luke Shaw – 8/10
Not many players can keep Mohamed Salah quiet at Anfield, but Luke Shaw did.
He defended with great discipline and tried to support the attack when he got the opportunity.
Sofyan Amrabat – 7/10
The Moroccan international produced a tenacious display against the Merseyside club.
He adds little quality on the ball but never stops running.
Kobbie Mainoo – 7/10
Another assured performance from the 18-year-old, who looked like the most composed midfielder on the pitch.
He played a perfectly weighted pass for Alejandro Garnacho that could have put the Red Devils in front.
Scott McTominay – 6/10
Ten Hag rewarded him with captaincy, but the Scotland international failed to lead by example.
His ball distribution was poor, but he won all five of his aerial duels. He combined well with Rasmus Hojlund to create a massive goalscoring opportunity.
Alejandro Garnacho – 6/10
The game showed that the youngster must add more muscle to compete in high-intensity games. This is the next phase of development for Garnacho.
He did well to support Shaw in defence.
Antony – 6/10
Antony needlessly gave away possession on some occasions but played a crucial role in bringing his side up the pitch during transitions.
Rasmus Hojlund – 6/10
Hojlund was starved of service. He had a huge chance to score, but the angle was too acute to put the ball past Alisson Becker.
Substitutes
Marcus Rashford – 6/10
Another Man United player who was harshly booked when he clearly won the ball.
Hannibal Mejbri – NA
Too late to rate.
Facundo Pellistri – NA
Too late to rate.
