Trent's terrible time helps United to turn the corner

Ruben Amorim's men left Anfield with a deserved point, as Liverpool's coveted right-back wilted under the spotlight

If 2025 is to be the year in which Liverpool wins their second Premier League title, they will hope that their first performance of the year is also their worst. On a night when many attended Anfield expecting to see a repeat of the 2-0 victory that signalled Jurgen Klopp’s side could not be caught in January 2020, Manchester United matched them with two goals of their own to leave with a restorative point after four consecutive defeats.

It was a game in which both sides led and neither was at their best, but undoubtedly Ruben Amorim’s side finished the happier. After a goalless first half, Lisandro Martinez gave United hope of a first win on this ground since 2016. Cody Gakpo extinguished that hope within eight minutes before a Mohamed Salah penalty looked to have given Arne Slot’s men a win that would stretch their lead at the top to a potentially unassailable eight points. However, a defence featuring Ibrahima Konate for the first time in nine matches was breached again, Amad Diallo sliding the ball beyond Alisson to mark their improved performance with a draw.

Liverpool vs Manchester United is a game so rich in history that it didn’t need any extra storylines, but there were sideshows aplenty before a ball had been kicked. For the third time this winter, the weather threatened to stop Liverpool in a way no other teams had managed aside from Slot’s bête noire, Nottingham Forest. Heavy snow added to the hurricane winds that put paid to the derby and sodden fog that threatened the Boxing Day clash with Leicester City, as the elements once again battered Anfield. Arsenal and Chelsea dropped points earlier in the weekend, opening the door for Liverpool to create a chasm between themselves and the rest. Even the opponents brought external narratives. Ruben’s Relegation-threatened Reds featured the booed and benched Joshua Zirkzee and the absent Marcus Rashford.

The biggest story of them all was the saga between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid, and how the Anfield faithful would react to one of their own being so openly courted. Unfortunately for the home-bred hero, his was a horror show that showcased all of the bad parts of his game and flew in the face of his Head Coach’s pre-match claims that the speculation wouldn’t cause a distraction. He was wasteful in attack and lax in defence, at a time when everyone knew that the microscope would be firmly trained on his every touch.

Amorim’s transparent tactics had come under plenty of scrutiny during their dismal December, but he was able to trouble Liverpool without reinventing his wheel. Setting their stall out early in a 5-4-1 formation without the ball, the plan was to offer very little space between the lines for Liverpool to operate. Initially, it seemed to be a tactic destined for failure. It took less than 15 minutes for a pair of adroit passes from Luis Diaz and Ryan Gravenberch to send Gakpo through, his poke beyond Andre Onana drifted past the far post. Moments later, Salah floated a perfect ball into the path of the onrushing Alexis Mac Allister, whose first-time shot was blocked by Onana’s knee.

At that point most expected to see the floodgate of shots opened, but instead, the tide began to turn. The next chance came for United, as Diogo Dalot sprung the offside trap. His centre was overrun by the eager Diallo, whose header turned into a clearance before Kobbie Mainoo’s follow-up was blocked. The Portuguese was perpetually the spare man in the opening half, with Alexander-Arnold choosing to cover Bruno Fernandes instead. The consequence was that United could always find a pass out of defence, and Dalot had plenty of space to roam. The United captain was their most deadly weapon throughout, rolling back the years and laying to rest a few ghosts of previous poor performances in this fixture. His close control and intelligent use of space sent a variety of runners into the left channel towards goal.

The most dangerous of those in the opening 45 minutes was Rasmus Hojlund, who perhaps felt the magnitude of the moment. A pair of heavy touches narrowed his angle, and the Dane couldn’t beat Alisson in the best chance of the half for either side. That miss was almost compounded as Liverpool launched their first real counter-attack. A neat piece of play between the excellent Mac Allister and Diaz fed Salah, who could only feed the gleeful United fans in the stands when searching for the top corner.

Liverpool lacked the intensity of their rivals, perhaps ignoring the insistence of their head coach that this game would be tougher than the league table suggested. There were echoes of the disappointing goalless draw last December when too many felt as if they need only turn up to leave with the points. Beyond complacency, there was a sense of contempt in Liverpool’s approach, like an older brother holding off a spirited but limited younger sibling at arm’s length.

Slot was adamant that greater quality only comes through when allied with a high work rate, and for too much of the first half that advice wasn’t heeded. Liverpool have made progress this season with a more measured tempo, but at times it bordered on stagnant, rarely pulling the phalanx of white shirts out of position.

The bench was the greatest comfort for Liverpool fans at the break, although the man most likely to have been introduced, Dominik Szoboszlai, was at home nursing an illness. There were no changes came at half-time, in tactics or purpose, and Manchester United took advantage.

Alexander-Arnold made a hat trick of mistakes - a poor ball into traffic that was intercepted, followed by a pathetic attempt to press Fernandes, which facilitated the playmaker to slip a ball behind the right-back and find Lisandro Martinez, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net with the brio that had escaped his Danish striker. While far from the only player beaten during the move, it was unescapably Alexander-Arnold’s mistake. It appeared as though he knew it too when caught in his own thoughts moments later as Mainoo outjumped him on the edge of the six-yard area. Virgil Van Dijk screamed at him to focus, doing the job of every Liverpool fan watching.

Retribution wasn’t far away. His free-kick was recycled back to Gravenberch, who found Mac Allister with a first-time ball. The Argentine split the United defence to find Gakpo, whose chop sent Matthis De Ligt sprawling before slamming the ball into the top corner. Slot had already decided to make changes before the equaliser - Darwin Nunez & Diogo Jota were sent into what was now a bearpit for the ineffective Diaz and Jones.

The roof was raised once again when De Ligt flung an arm into the sky that blocked Mac Allister’s header at close range. Referee Michael Oliver was either unsighted or unconvinced, but VAR showed him the error of his ways - penalty. After some high jinks from Onana and Fernandes, Salah fired his team into the lead, finding the bottom corner with aplomb. As United’s lead disintegrated so did their mood, Martinez and Maguire exploding in anger at their perceived injustice.

And yet, Liverpool’s sloppiness returned. This time it was Konate whose header was intercepted, and with Alexander-Arnold in the centre, it fell to him to close down substitute Alejandro Garnacho. The Frenchman couldn’t get there in time, Garnacho’s cross beating three defenders to fall for Diallo who equalised with 11 minutes remaining. Konate may have made it with a few more matches under his belt, but Slot had no qualms about giving him the full 90 minutes.

He was clearly struggling for energy by the closing stages, but the man stationed to his right was a much bigger problem. Another pair of mistakes, including one that drew a caution, saw the introduction of Conor Bradley. Slot spared his star the indignity of any negative crowd reaction, pairing the switch with the replacement of Gakpo for Harvey Elliott, but there’s no doubt that it was a hooking. He may have regretted not making the switch sooner, but post-match batted away the inevitable accusations that Alexander-Arnold’s head had been turned:

“Nine out of 10 people will tell you that it affected him, but I’m the one. What affected him more was Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, two quality players who start for Portugal”. Whether he says the same in private is up for debate, but he was always going to defend his player. Bradley’s return coupled with two upcoming domestic cup matches against Spurs and Accrington Stanley represents the perfect opportunity to remove Alexander-Arnold from the firing line. The next move will be fascinating - the first true test of Slot’s man-management skills.

The Northern Irishman nearly made himself the hero, a rasping drive testing Onana at his near post at the end of another frantic counter. The desperation to find a winner was almost their downfall, as United mustered one last attack deep in injury time. Joshua Zirkzee found himself bearing down on Alisson and made the “perfect decision” to square it to Harry Maguire, according to his manager. With the goal and the ground at his mercy, the centre-back sent the ball high over the bar.

It was notable that neither manager was satisfied at full time. Amorim named himself “the only man who will be unhappy”, of those who hold United dear:

“The most important thing to address today is the mentality. We were a different team, not because of the system, not because of the technical or tactical aspect of the game. We faced the competition in the way that we’re supposed to face it every day - training and match”.

Slot admitted that it felt like “two points dropped”:
“It was a difficult game, a bit similar to the Nottingham Forest game. The playing style of both teams was quite similar - defending in a low block with a lot of bodies. That is not always easy to play against, especially if they have such quality players that can defend so well”.

While some may have thought Slot was playing possum with his praise of United pre-match, he arguably didn’t give them enough credit here - his repeated references to playing long balls seemingly dismissing the occasions when United were able to gain joy playing through the lines.
Namechecking this season’s sole defeat was also telling, as that was the only time his Liverpool left the field feeling worse.

And yet, they still have the opportunity to put nine points between themselves and the chasing pack by winning the game in hand at Goodison next month. To do so they will have to find a better approach against a low block, and a better approach against inferior rivals. As for Alexander-Arnold, he’ll do well to find himself a darkened room for the next few hours, and to stay away from social media.