Manchester United clung onto a point against Liverpool in the Premier League, here are five things we learned about the fixture…
Kobbie Mainoo is the oracle
What a player. What a goal. Kobbie Mainoo has yet another special moment in a Manchester United shirt.
His curling effort to put United 2-1 up has further reinstated just how beyond his years the English midfielder is and what an elite-tier talent the Red Devils have on their hands. It’s a grand shame it was cancelled out.
Mainoo just keeps getting better. And we’re loving every single minute of it.
What was Erik ten Hag thinking? More so… how did it kind of work?
Erik ten Hag‘s tactics were, well, questionable in this Premier League outing. He decided to do a man-for-man marking system, which left United in a pickle more times than none.
It appeared that everyone could see it happening apart from Ten Hag himself. It was simply baffling.
Yet – United came away with a point, in a typically chaotic fashion. Sometimes that’s just how football pans out.
Bruno Fernandes is equally as fantastic as he is frustrating
At so many times in today’s fixture, the club captain was so careless in possession. Particularly in that abysmal of first half, Bruno was losing the ball left right and centre.
He was one of the worst players on the pitch, yet he produced the moment of sheer magic to get Manchester United kicking again.
Whilst he can be a nuisance sometimes, Bruno Fernandes is worth his weight in gold for Manchester United because of the glorious moments of individual brilliance he can bring – such as that goal today.
Willy Kambwala stepped up amid an injury crisis
Manchester United, like many Premier League sides, are smack bang in the middle of an injury crisis. The defence of Ten Hag’s side has been particularly hit badly, with Harry Maguire the only fit senior centre-half in the first-team squad.
This meant Ten Hag was forced to call on Frenchman Willy Kambwala – and by god, didn’t he step up? He had the task of dealing with Darwin Nunez, which is no easy feat.
He was brilliant throughout and deserves his plaudits.
Manchester United need to stop giving away penalties
That’s three penalties in two games now – which have ultimately led to four dropped points. Aaron Wan-Bissaka‘s challenge was careless and downright unnecessary today.
These are the fine margins in the Premier League, unfortunately, and incompetence is costing us in the bigger picture.
A point could have been three today, as with so many games that have gone before this. Ultimately, it’s going to cost us Champions League football this season.
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