Liverpool fell well short of their best away to Manchester United, with the eventual 1-1 draw feeling like a point gained.
For whatever reason, Jurgen Klopp’s side simply weren’t on their game, whether it be the international break acting as a distraction, Mohamed Salah’s injury affecting their plans or Old Trafford once again proving to be a mental barrier to overcome.
Klopp isn’t always lauded for his use of substitutes, but Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and goalscorer Adam Lallana all changed the game when they came on.
These Liverpool supporters appreciated their influence, heaping praise on them on Twitter.
If one Liverpool player deserves acknowledgement today, it's Oxlade-Chamberlain in my books. Made the attacking more direct and straight forward, circulated the ball well between left and right wing, took dangerous runs and threatened with long shots when United parked the bus.
— Maxi (@MaaxiAngelo) October 20, 2019
Surely also Lallana. Expectations were on the floor but despite lacking pace was smart on the ball and made smart runs (incl the one he scored from). He was dead slow and poor defensively but communicated well to his teammates to be covered well, so his weakness wasn’t exploited.
— Mari Murphy (@MariCLMurphy) October 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/lronVan/status/1185972696275808257?s=20
https://twitter.com/jad9292/status/1185972764429041664?s=20
Agree but Keita when fit is a class. His distribution of the ball is second to any other world class player and he has vision
— Paul Magri ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (@PaulMagri) October 20, 2019
Ox, Keita and Lallana made the difference and they need more game time. Klopp should see that from today’s game. Important players🔴
— Matt Greenhalgh (@greenhalgh96) October 20, 2019
Read Liverpool Verdict
Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lallana all injected guile into Liverpool’s play – something that was sorely missing before their respective arrivals, particularly with the out-of-sorts Jordan Henderson.
They all played their part in the Reds picking up one of their ugliest draws of the Klopp era, giving the manager a selection headache ahead of this week’s action.
Keita is someone who has to start featuring regularly now that he is fully fit – he still has the potential to be a superstar at Anfield.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cameo was also promising, showing the kind of dynamism we saw before his knee injury, while Lallana deserves praise for his biggest contribution for a long time.
Comments.
Loading comments…