39 min Pogba spins a lovely long pass towards Rashford, who is just beaten to the ball on the edge of the area by Alisson. Rashford was then flagged offside, though replays showed it was very close.
38 min United have been much better in the last 10 minutes or so. The first half may not have been exciting but it has - no euphemisms here - been really intriguing.
37 min Martial beats Shaqiri, Mane and Alexander-Arnold - the latter with a lovely nutmeg - before Fabinho steps across to make an emphatic tackle 35 yards from goal.
35 min Rashford breaks dangerously into the area, and there’s a bit of excitement before the flag eventually goes up. Rashford was offside in the first phase.
34 min Wijnaldum, who has been excellent, plays a good pass down the left to Salah. He cuts inside and runs at Maguire, who holds him up fairly well in the area. The ball breaks to Firmino, whose left-foot snapshot from 15 yards is straight at de Gea. That’s the first shot on target, and the best chance so far.
34 min The free-kick is slightly to the left of centre. Fernandes hits a booming effort that flashes just wide of the near post. Alisson was flying desperately across his goal, which suggested it was very close; the replays confirmed it.
33 min Shaw, who has been United’s most enterprising attacker, plays a nice one-two with Fred and is fouled 23 yards from goal by Shaqiri. He’s booked. This is a chance for Fernandes...
32 min Salah and Mane have switched wings for Liverpool. United are still playing with Pogba on the right.
31 min McTominay plays a good pass into to Fernandes, who is tactically fouled by Fabinho 45 yards from goal. Shaw’s free-kick is misjudged by Alexander-Arnold and comes to Maguire, but he’s offside.
29 min Wijnaldum fouls Pogba 40 yards from goal on the right. Fernandes’s free-kick finds Shaw round the back on the left, and his cross takes a couple of ricochets before being cleared.
28 min Statwatch: Liverpool have had 73 per cent possession and eight shots to United’s none. But neither side has had a shot on target yet.
27 min Shaw makes an excellent run through the inside-left channel and angles the ball back to Fernandes. His attempted through ball is cut out but that was a bit better, particularly from Shaw.
25 min It’s all Liverpool now. Maguire’s poor pass out of defence is blocked by Firmino and deflects to Mane. His cross rolls towards Fred, but his clearance is straight at Wijnaldum. He has a shot blocked and then Shaqiri curls over from 20 yards.
23 min Slowly but surely, Liverpool have taken control of this game. They are outnumbering United in the centre of midfield and have generally managed to stop the counter-attacks at source.
22 min United break from that corner, but a lazy long pass from Pogba allows Liverpool to go on the counter-counter-attack. Alexander-Arnold drives a long pass to Mane, who plays in Firmino. His shot is well blocked by Lindelof and Salah smacks the rebound over the bar from 20 yards on the volley.
21 min Robertson surges infield and plays a short pass to Shaqiri on the edge of the D. His shot is deflected wide. Liverpool take a quick corner, which leads to another when Alexander-Arnold cross hits Fernandes and goes behind. The second corner is headed away at the near post by Lindelof.
19 min Luke Shaw has been taking ages over throw-ins since the first whistle. That might be a tactic to change the pace of the game, Suljovic-style.
18 min Fred breaks down the left and curls a dangerous pass around the Liverpool defence towards Rashford at the far post. Robertson does very well to hold Rashford off and draw a foul.
17 min Shaqiri slides a brilliant pass into the area towards Mane, who makes a textbook run from left to right. He is covered by Wan-Bissaka so turns away from goal and finds Firmino on the edge of the box. He slices well wide with his left foot. That was a poor effort, not least because Robertson was in acres of space to his left.
16 min The ball has started to go down, so there’s a brief break in play while it is changed.
14 min Firmino’s long-range shot is blocked by Maguire. The ball spins across the area to Robertson,l who slices a half-volley over the bar. The move started with a fine pass from Thiago to Firmino; as Gary Neville says on Sky, at the moment he’s running the game.
13 min United haven’t had much of the ball so far - 29 per cent - though they will be happy that Liverpool haven’t threatened to overwhelm them as they did in the first 15 minutes of this fixture last season.
12 min Thiago walks majestically away from Fred, not once but twice, only to overhit a simple pass to Alexander-Arnold. He is a glorious footballer, and has looked a class apart in the early minutes.
10 min Fernandes’s through pass towards Rashford is intercepted well by Henderson on the edge of the area.
9 min As expected, Liverpool are pressing high and trying to smother United. They’ve made the better start, though there hasn’t been much in it.
7 min Thiago is dropping very deep to collect the ball, almost as a third centre-half. The tactics on both sides are pretty intriguing.
6 min And now the first promising move from United. Martial plays a one-two with Shaw and slides a pass down the inside-left channel to release Rashford. His cross is kicked away at the near post.
5 min Liverpool are starting to find a bit of rhythm. Thiago steps away from Fernandes with disdain near the halfway line and floats a fine pass out to Alexander-Arnold on the right of the area. His cross is blocked by Shaw.
3 min The first good move from Liverpool. Shaqiri and Wijnaldum combine to find the overlapping Robertson, who mishits a cross into the side netting.
2 min These are the revised line-ups.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Henderson, Robertson; Shaqiri, Thiago, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane. Substitutes: Kelleher, R Williams, N Williams, Phillips, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Minamino, Origi.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1) de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Pogba, Fernandes, Martial; Rashford.
Substitutes: Henderson, Bailly, Telles, Tuanzebe, Mata, Matic, van de Beek, Cavani, Greenwood.
1 min Liverpool’s formation looks like 4-3-3 with Shaqiri in centre midfield.
1 min United have started with Pogba on the right, Martial left and Rashford up front.
1 min Peep peep! United, in their dark grey away kit, kick off from left to right. Liverpool are in red.
The players gather round the centre circle for a minute’s applause in memory of Gerry Marsden. He is also on the cover of the match programme.
YNWA blares around Anfield. It’s more poignant than usual; this is Liverpool’s first home game since the death of Gerry Marsden.
“I’m not a public-relations expert,” says Peter Oh, “but given the current situation I don’t know if it was all that wise for Solskjaer to use the words positive and test in the same sentence.”
“Afternoon Rob,” says Martin McCarthy. “You were very confident a while ago that Liverpool would win the league fairly comfortably. Just wondered if that opinion still holds?”
I’m not as confident but I think they will. I’d probably say the chances are something like:
- Liverpool 60 per cent
- Man City 35
- Man Utd 4
- The rest 1
“I too have nostalgia for the hideous 1980s games between these two at Anfield,” says Paul Griffin. “They were horrible, spiteful affairs: the likes of McMahon and Whiteside breaching the Geneva Convention on the pitch, bile and hatred pouring of the stands, an atmosphere of menace outside the ground, I can’t fathom why I miss any of this (apart from the £2.50 tickets that were easy to come by).”
It wasn’t exactly It’s a Wonderful Life at Old Trafford either.
Here’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
“Victor trained the last few days so he should be ready. Anthony’s injury was more of a cramp. We know we’re playing against a good team but we have to be positive and test ourselves against the best. There’s no way we can sit back and defend for the whole game. They’re missing a few centre-backs and that’s an area we can hopefully exploit.
“There are so many things you have to do right. You have to play a perfect game against a team that hasn’t lost in three and a half years. Believe in yourself; that’s the main thing.”
“Afternoon Rob,” says Matt Emerson. “I don’t have a dog in this fight, but this fixture will always take me back to the mid-eighties, when I was a ‘cockney’ student in Liverpool. I always stayed out of the city centre when Man Utd came to down, mainly due to concerns that, if they heard my accent, the two sets of supporters would stop fighting each other and gang up on a common enemy...”
“I like to think I’m a well balanced and pretty mild-mannered man,” says Kevin McManus. “But I’m also self- aware enough to know this goes out the window when we are playing the hated Man U. It isnt just me either. The whole of the Kop seems to fall prey to a collective fervour whenever Man U turn up. I took a girlfriend to the game once which was a huge mistake. She found the passion and the hatred all too much and couldnt get her head around it. Of course she was right - it is totally unreasonable for otherwise sensible grown men and women to act like that for a few hours. But I have to say it just kind of feels right when it is directed at Man U.”
One thing that’s interesting is that it wasn’t always thus. I watched the 1977 FA Cup final last week, and there was (to modern eyes) an extraordinary level of goodwill on and off the field. That all changed in the late seventies and early eighties.
“I think United should treat this game as a free hit,” says Digvijay Yadav. “For once I’d like to see them take the game to Liverpool at Anfield. It’s only happened once in memory when Gerrard stamped on Herrera. Otherwise it’s always cagey, trying to smash and grab stuff.”
I suppose one of the regrets of the Ferguson years was that they never hammered Liverpool at Anfield. They were usually horrible games, only to be enjoyed after the event by the winners.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Stephen Carr. “Klopp’s line up clearly based on the assumption that Liverpool are going to have pretty much all of ball.”
Here’s Jurgen Klopp
“Joel [Matip] has been part of the sessions since Friday. Today is Sunday, so that’s not enough. He will train normally from tomorrow. Shaq is in really good shape and showed good performances last game and in training. He’s now getting rhythm, step by step. He was out for a long time - little things only [but they added up]. He has showed in training he is ready to go, so we’ll let him go.
“We’ve trained really well and worked on things that are very, very necessary for this game. That’s it. It’s not about the names or the shirts; it’s all about the moment. [How do you win this game?] You have to be brave. You have to be cheeky in moments; to be well organised but not hide behind organisation. You have to be brave defensively as well. Playing good football; playing between the lines; playing behind the lines. Being calm on the ball but lively as well. Lots of things - it’s football!”
Sky Sports have both teams in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Pogba on the right and Rashford on the left. That isn’t quite as odd as it sounds given Rashford’s performances against Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Team views
Barney Ronay (@barneyronay)
Henderson and Fabinho in defence means no Henderson and Fabinho in Bruno Fernandes Country
January 17, 2021
Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst)
Would've had Cavani in but Martial can pull into that left-hand channel to take on Alexander-Arnold, as Pogba is not a natural winger, and bring Rashford over from the right. Lindelof over Bailly is contentious, to say the least. #mufc
January 17, 2021
In the early game, Spurs won comfortably at Sheffield United to move into the top four for a few hours.
“Hello Rob,” says Neil Carter. “Ole obviously resting Bailly and Cavani today for the tougher games ahead?”
Afternoon Gary.
“While having Hendo at the back feels as incongruous as singing Cardi B’s WAP in a Yorkshire accent,” begins Ian Copestake. “I trust in Klopp and whatever he has been drinking that has finally enabled him to see the Shaq. This can’t fail but be a snow-dusted cracker (unless it ain’t snowing).”
I think it’s the best option in the circumstances. Liverpool will want to bully United and pin them back. If they can’t do that with a defence comprising two central midfielders and the best attacking full-backs in the world, they never will.
“Hi Rob,” says Mark Haywood. “Interesting background article on Bruno Fernandes in today’s NY Times. Remember the days when Utd v L’pool and Everton v City would be played on the same Saturday at the proper time of 3pm?”
I don’t quite remember that, as I was born in well never mind about that detail, but I’m sure it happened. I wonder when the last occurrence was, maybe in the 1970s?
Liverpool (possible 4-2-3-1) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Fabinho, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum; Shaqiri, Firmino, Mane; Salah.
Substitutes: Kelleher, R Williams, N Williams, Phillips, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Minamino, Origi.
Manchester United (possible 4-D-2) de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred; McTominay, Pogba; Fernandes; Rashford, Martial.
Substitutes: Henderson, Bailly, Telles, Tuanzebe, Mata, Matic, van de Beek, Cavani, Greenwood.
Referee Paul Tierney.
There’s no Joel Matip for Liverpool, so Jordan Henderson and Fabinho will play in the centre of defence again. Xherdan Shaqiri starts, which is an intriguing decision from Jurgen Klopp; he scored twice in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over United at Anfield two years ago. Shaqiri’s inclusion gives Liverpool the option of playing 4-2-3-1 or the usual 4-3-3.
Anthony Martial starts for United, which is a bonus after his hamstring strain at Burnley in the week. Victor Lindelof is preferred to Eric Bailly, a slight surprise given Bailly’s pace and recent form. It’s hard to be sure what shape United will play - it could be 4-2-3-1 with Pogba and Rashford wide, but my money is on a diamond and a front two to break in behind Liverpool’s full-backs.
Pre-match reading
Hello. Liverpool v Manchester United is rarely a classic game, but it’s usually a memorable one. The drama, intensity and pharmaceutical grade hatred ensure that the occasion, if not always the football, sticks around in the memory bank.
There’s always a story to tell, and down the years the subject matter has been extremely diverse: racism, Riiiiseeeeeeeeeee, darts, volleyball, Tomb Raider, cigars, vomit, saliva, faeces, Missiles of Hate, Munich chants, Heysel chants, Hillsborough chants, Berbarotica, dodgy penalties, facts, tear gas, Norman Whiteside’s rampage, Michael Owen’s rampage, Nani’s tears, Paul Scholes’ boxing skills, Eric Cantona’s collar, Neil Ruddock’s stomach, badge-grabbing, camera-kissing, 38 seconds, six fingers, P45s, a six-yard hat-trick, a hat-trick of red cards in 13 months, a hat-trick of Old Trafford matchwinners in four years and, most unlikely of all, the goalsoring prowess of Gary Pallister and Andrea Dossena.
I could go on but this is a live blog, not a live book subtitled A History in 100 Objects and Moments. Suffice to say this is still the biggest rivalry in England, even though the games generally haven’t been great and the two teams have barely challenged for the title in the same season during the Premier League era. It’s happened only four times: 1995-96, 1996-97, 2001-02 and 2008-09. And only once in that time have they met when first and second in the league: 19 April 1997, when Pallister scored twice to shatter Liverpool’s title hopes.
Leicester’s win against Southampton last night means this won’t be first v second, but it has been framed exclusively in the context of the title race. Some folk are even calling it a title decider, which would ideally be a sackable offence. But it is the biggest game of the season so far, and probably the biggest between these teams since 14 March 2009, a distant time when Dossena was the scourge of Europe’s finest. He scored the final goal in Liverpool’s extraordinary 4-1 win at Old Trafford that day, which started a memorable last lap of the title race in which United’s frontrunners just managed to pip a rampant Liverpool. (By the way, Liverpool were third going into that game, so that wasn’t first v second.)
I don’t think United are realistic contenders this season, though I’ll probably change my mind if they get three points today. A win for either side would be an instant contender for statement victory of the season. Liverpool can put United in their place by beating them, ideally heavily, and knocking them off the top of the table. (Some folk have even used the word ‘perch’, which would ideally etc.) United can stimulate some significant cat/pigeon interaction by ending Liverpool’s four-year unbeaten run at Anfield.
As if the big picture wasn’t exciting enough, there are plenty of compelling subplots. Liverpool are the best team in England; United are the league leaders. Liverpool are top of the home table with 22 points from eight games; United are top of the away table with 22 points from eight games. Indeed, United haven’t lost a league game away from home since their trip to Anfield a year ago, when Mo Salah’s late goal sealed a 2-0 win and sparked an orgiastic, spine-tingling chorus of ‘We’re Gonna Win The League’.
Still want more? Well, two of the world’s best players, Thiago Alcantara and Bruno Fernandes, are playing in this fixture for the first time; and the referee Paul Tierney will be under pressure every time a defender breathes with excessive force in the penalty area.
Let’s hope it’s a rare classic. If not, no matter. We’ll still be talking about it in the morning – and probably in 20 years’ time.
Kick off, and don’t worry, it will 4.30pm.
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