Liverpool have missed the chance to climb above Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Luis Diaz opened the scoring midway through the first half and the Merseysiders entered half time with a deserved lead, but Bruno Fernandes restored parity for the Red Devils with an outrageous strike from almost 50 yards out just five minutes after the interval.
Kobbie Mainoo then curled an equally exquisite shot into the top corner - his first Old Trafford goal - to put Erik ten Hag's side ahead on the 67-minute mark, but a clumsy challenge from Aaron Wan-Bissaka gifted Liverpool a penalty, which Mohamed Salah converted with aplomb six minutes from time to salvage a point for the visitors.
The draw for Jurgen Klopp's men means that they remain second in the Premier League table, one point clear of third-placed Manchester City and only behind leaders Arsenal on goal difference with seven games left to play.
As for Man United, who have now failed to win 11 of their last 12 Premier League games against Liverpool, they remain sixth in the top-flight standings, one point ahead of West Ham United in seventh and eight points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who face Nottingham Forest later this evening.
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The headline team news from Man United's perspective was the inclusion of teenage centre-back Willy Kambwala, who was handed just his second league start at the expense of the injured Raphael Varane, while Marcus Rashford replaced Antony in attack.
As for Liverpool, Klopp made three changes to his starting lineup following the midweek win over Sheffield United, with Jarell Quansah, Andy Robertson and Wataru Endo all coming in for Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch.
Man United made a lively start and Alejandro Garnacho thought he had given the hosts a second-minute lead when he burst through on goal and rounded Caoimhin Kelleher before rolling the ball into an empty net, but the Argentine was ruled offside.
Liverpool then sliced through United's midfield like a knife through butter, and Dominik Szoboszlai was given a clear run towards goal down the left channel, but his powerful strike was well saved by the strong left hand of Andre Onana.
Szoboszlai was presented with another decent opportunity not long after, but after meeting Robertson's inviting first-time cross from the left, the Hungarian was unable to direct his sliding side-footed effort on target from inside the six-yard box.
Liverpool took control of proceedings and their dominance in possession was rewarded with the opening goal scored in the 23rd minute by Diaz at the back post following a corner.
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Robertson's curling corner was flicked on by Darwin Nunez towards Diaz, who was free to smack a first-time strike in between Onana and Diogo Dalot stood on the line.
Klopp's side were firmly on top, but were wasteful in the final third, much to the relief of Man United who struggled to pose a real threat at the other end.
A promising break from the visitors resulted in a shot from Salah on the right, but his curling strike was tipped behind by Onana, who denied another shot from Salah from the resulting corner – one that he should have caught as opposed to palming the ball away – before Nunez and Salah fired shots over the crossbar.
Liverpool had 15 shots on goal in the first half, but only four hit the target, while Man United failed to register a single shot on goal in the opening 45 for the first time in Premier League home game since October 2015 when they played out a goalless draw with Manchester City.
Bruno Fernandes, what a GOAL 😱 pic.twitter.com/yxL9VDrIKN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024
Just five minutes into the second half, the Red Devils restored parity from out of the blue with their first shot on goal, which was certainly worth the wait for the Old Trafford faithful.
Liverpool defender Quansah was under no real pressure as he received the ball on the halfway line, but as he turned into his own half, he rolled a misplaced pass straight into the path of Fernandes, who instinctively lobbed Kelleher from just inside Liverpool's half with a remarkable first-time strike.
The table quickly tuned in the favour of United, who had their tails up and were posing a much greater threat in the final third; a deflected strike from Garnacho flew over the crossbar shortly before Kelleher swatted the ball away from danger after Rashford's inswinging cross narrowly missed Casemiro on the stretch.
That proved to be Rashford's final contribution as he was forced off in the 67th minute with an apparent muscle injury – Antony was brought on in his place. Liverpool, meanwhile, made a double substitution as Curtis Jones and Gomez replaced Szoboszlai and Conor Bradley.
Neither Jones or Gomez has time to settle into the contest before Man United put themselves in front in sensational fashion, thanks to a beauty pulled out of the top drawer from rising star Mainoo.
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The 18-year-old received the ball on the left side of the penalty area and took one touch before turning and bending a stunning right-footed shot into the top corner, beating Kelleher all ends up to spark wild scenes among the Old Trafford crowd.
Both Diaz and Salah then missed good opportunities to draw Liverpool level, before the Reds were gifted a penalty in the 84th minute when Wan-Bissaka needlessly threw himself into a lunging challenge on Elliott, giving Anthony Taylor no choice but to point to the spot.
Salah stepped up and initially had issues with keeping the ball from rolling off the spot, but the Egyptian eventually sent Onana the wrong way with a coolly-taken spot kick, becoming the first opposition player to score in four consecutive Premier League matches at Old Trafford.
The Egyptian's 11th Premier League goal against Man United has also seen him surpass Alan Shearer (10) to become the highest-scoring player against the Red Devils in the top flight.
In the seven minutes of stoppage time, Diaz almost fired Liverpool back in front, but he could only poke an effort on the stretch over the crossbar, before Antony and Elliott both had low shots denied by Kelleher and Onana respectively.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to the Europa League quarter-finals as they welcome Atalanta BC to Anfield for a first-leg clash on Thursday, while Man United are next in Premier League action on Saturday when they visit Bournemouth.
Oliver Thomas
