Liverpool were outworked by Manchester United last Sunday and can have no complaints with the 2-2 draw, though 2024-25 has so far been an overwhelmingly successful season, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed.
Arne Slot's side came into their clash against United as favourites, particularly as their opponents started the match in 14th place and had lost their prior four, but the game itself was surprisingly competitive given the Red Devils' struggles under boss Ruben Amorim so far.
The Merseysiders are still first in the Premier League, but their performance on Sunday was undoubtedly subpar and it may have given title rivals Arsenal and Nottingham Forest hope that they can close the gap.
Lynch expressed his view that Liverpool will be most disappointed by the fact United worked harder than them during the game, telling Sports Mole: "It was a big surprise. [At] the start of the day, it's 14th against a side that's top of the table and absolutely cruising in the title race, and so you think it's going to be a straightforward afternoon.
"Liverpool seemed to be caught by surprise by the fact that United were running all over the pitch, closing down, had a good system and a good setup and were able to close all the spaces in defence, but then be really dangerous on the break. Frustrating from Liverpool's perspective that they were caught by surprise, and the worst aspect from Liverpool's perspective is that they were being outworked by Manchester United.
"It felt like every second ball was landing to United. It felt at times like they had an extra player on the pitch. Now sometimes that's down to setup and how formations are clashing against each other, and I do think that was a factor in this game, that Amorim's setup was absolutely perfect, but sometimes it's just about covering ground and if you are a second late in the press, it's because you've not fully committed to it."
Trent Alexander-Arnold came in for significant criticism from fans and pundits alike for his perceived lax approach, but he was not the only player to underperform, while Amorim must also be given credit for his own tactical adjustments.
Was the reaction to Liverpool's performance overdramatic?
United centre-back Harry Maguire squandered a good chance to win the match, firing over the bar from close range in the final moments of the second half.
Had Maguire converted the chance, some fans might have said that the Red Devils would have deserved all three points considering they often looked threatening against one of the league's best defences.
However, Lynch told Sports Mole that Liverpool's performance was at least worthy of a point, and does not believe that Slot's side played as badly as some have suggested, saying: "It's been talked about as Manchester United completely outplaying Liverpool and that it's a travesty almost that they didn't win. I don't agree with that take at all. For me Liverpool still had the majority and the best of the chances.
"Obviously United get that late [chance] through Harry Maguire and that sticks in your mind, but you look at the expected goals numbers - it tallies more with what we actually saw in terms of Liverpool creating more chances being generally more dominant, but it was still a very good performance from Manchester United.
"I thought a draw was a fair result. I thought if United would have nicked it would have been really harsh on Liverpool. From Liverpool's perspective, they've got to take the positive, [which is] that their floor is not so low, and they can still play poorer than they have in many games this season and take a draw against a side who played very well, but [it's] obviously not a performance that they'll want to repeat."
Even when excluding Mohamed Salah's penalty from the equation, Liverpool's figure of 2.03 xG was still nearly double United's tally of 1.05 xG.
© Imago
Liverpool's draw was not the end of the world
Reds fans were particularly disappointed as victory against United would have seen the club capitalise on the fact Arsenal had drawn 1-1 with Brighton & Hove Albion last Saturday.
In fact, Liverpool have dropped points in three of their last six Premier League games and conceded 11 goals in that time, as many as they had conceded in their previous 15 league outings.
While Lynch recognised the need for the Reds to improve, he does not think fans should panic about the team's form, telling Sports Mole: "It's very difficult to have only one defeat in all competitions so it says a lot about the team and it says a lot about where the floor of this team is, which is an important thing in terms of raising that and making sure that even when you're not at your best, you're still at a level where you can get a result.
"I don't think Liverpool should take it as too big a blow or as a commentary on where they are at the moment - it's one of those games and if they move on and get back on a winning run then there's very little doubt that they will go on and win the league.
"I don't think Arsenal are capable of going on this 14-15 game winning run that keeps getting spoken about. We've seen there are too many weaknesses in that side, and they're without their best player for the next two and a half months. He's going to be too big of a miss, so I can't see them showing the form that Liverpool [or Manchester City] did at their best, and we know this is an Arsenal squad that's never surpassed 90 points."
Liverpool are already six points ahead of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest while also boasting a game in hand on both, and their two title rivals can only afford to drop four more points if they are to reach the 90-point mark, while the Reds can drop 13.
Lewis Nolan
