Manchester United were only defeated 3-1 at Anfield but were left battered and bruised after the beating they suffered at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool.
Sadio Mane began the punishment in the 24th minute but his effort was cancelled out by Jesse Lingard nine minutes later courtesy of an error from Alisson.
United were clinging on in the hopes of salvaging a point but Liverpool’s relentless pressure paid off with second half substitute Xherdan Shaqiri firing twice in the 73rd and 80th minutes to seal a victory that took the Merseyside outfit back to the top of the Premier League.
Here’s a look at how Jurgen Klopp fared in the tactical battle with Jose Mourinho.
BASIC STATS
Goals – 3
Shots – 36
Possession – 64%
Tackles – 12
Dribbles – 12
30-SECOND REPORT
Klopp set his side up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Roberto Firmino playing in behind Mohamed Salah but really, Mane was placed well up the pitch on the right side while Georginio Wijnaldum was pushed right up against United’s deep back-line.
They started on the front foot and rarely eased off. An equaliser for the visitors against the run of play was only a false dawn as they eventually had to break under a relentless pummeling.
Liverpool attacked with wave after wave, slowly dismantling United’s defence and resolve.
Xherdan Shaqiri’s braced sealed the win for Liverpool.
TACTICAL TALKING POINT
Midfield dynamic
When Liverpool were well and truly on top at times, United could barely draw breath let alone get out of their half. Much of that was down to the press enforced by the hosts and their central midfield had a huge role to play.
Naby Keita came to Anfield with a reputation of being an energetic, all-action midfielder and he showed the bite and drive he can deliver with this performance. Meanwhile, on the rare occasion United did manage to string a few passes together, Wijnaldum came to life when Liverpool got it back, leading the charge in the transition.
Finally, Fabinho made the most of the space around him as he was afforded the freedom of Anfield to pick and choose from the plethora of forward options available to him. The Brazilian needed to be patient and wait for cracks to appear in United’s congested back-line and he pounced whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Fabinho (l)
VERDICT
Klopp and Liverpool deserve a lot of credit despite being faced with a woeful United team. It took perseverance and guile to break through a side that looked like they didn’t want to play football.
Rating 7/10