The Theatre of Dreams remains a house of horrors for Liverpool as another win went wanting. The Reds wriggled away with a dour 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
While the Red Devils looked ripe for the taking having burned all three substitutions in the first half, Liverpool lacked ruthlessness in leveraging their advantage and retaking the league lead with authority.
The home side essentially played with 10 men for most of the match, as Marcus Rashford limped through the contest as well. At their greatest rivals’ ground, the Reds reeled rather than rocked in one of their weakest league performances this season.
For most of the match, Liverpool looked out of sync and lethargic. They dominated possession but blundered build-up opportunities entering the final third. For the first time this campaign, the Reds failed to score in two consecutive matches. More disconcerting still, Roberto Firmino left the field with an ankle injury and looks likely to miss some time.
Chance creation proved a premium as the Reds rarely even tested David de Gea, only putting one shot on target and an iffy effort at that from Daniel Sturridge shortly after entering. With the ball, Liverpool simply looked sloppy in tight spaces around the penalty area.
Nevertheless, the defence earned another clean sheet despite continued right-side rotation and an outstanding save from Alisson. Plus, the Reds regained the table’s top spot and need to recover quickly as they host Watford midweek.
Here are four findings from the game.
