3️⃣ things learned as Manchester United hold Liverpool in PL classic | OneFootball

Manchester United put a huge dent in Liverpool’s title hopes as they held on for a point against Jürgen Klopp’s side in another chaotic classic at Old Trafford.

Here’s what we made of proceedings at the Theatre of Dreams.

Ten Hag’s football unsustainable

Erik ten Hag is banking on being Manchester United boss next season despite the upheaval upstairs, but he and his side will have to produce much better performances to earn a stay of execution.

The Red Devils failed to have a shot, let alone a shot on target in the first half and only poor finishing kept the home side in the game.

A freak goal and a piece of brilliance aside, they were no match for Liverpool for large parts of the tie, in the same way that they had been no match for Brentford seven days ago. The fact that André has been forced into making the most saves this season is not a reflection of his ability, rather the rest of his team’s inability.

Unless Ten Hag can change that and change it fast, there doesn’t seem to be a future for him in Manchester even if individual brilliance can pull off results like today’s.

Sam Allardyce was spotted alongside Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the Old Trafford directors box during the game. He couldn’t, could he?

Kobbie Mainoo shines bright

Amid the chaos, Kobbie Mainoo’s star continues to rise.

The midfielder always looks the most calm player on the pitch and is adding goals to his all-round game, finding the corner with a spectacular effort in the second half. In doing so, he became the youngest ever Manchester United player to score against Liverpool in the history top flight.

Handed his England debut in March, he is likely to be in the squad for the EURO 2024 championships this summer, and is still in the infancy of what threatens to be an excellent career.

If Manchester United could pretend that they paid £86m for him rather than Antony, he would be considered a bargain.

Strange things happen at Old Trafford

With Manchester United out of the game in a dreadful first half (see point one), Liverpool will be coming away from the game wondering how on earth they needed a late penalty to come away with a point, let alone all three.

Just like in the FA Cup quarter final between the two sides, Jürgen Klopp’s side threw the game away when it was in the palm of their hand. A Jarrell Quansah mistake was pounced upon by Fernandes, whose wonder strike galvanised the crowd and chaos ensued on the pitch, with Liverpool losing all semblance of control and letting United back into the game.

It will feel like a missed opportunity for both sides, with Liverpool losing top spot over the weekend and United no closer to their Champions League goal.

But the Red Devils still welcome Arsenal to the Theatre of Dreams, and should Mikel Arteta’s side offer United a moment like Liverpool did, they could still have a major say in the final destination of the Premier League trophy.