Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United: result, report, goals, highlights
A game that failed to live up to its pre-match billing. An impressive defensive display from the visitors that will see Mourinho much the happier of the managers.Copa del Rey live:Quarter Final Draw
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United
Make no mistake this was not a good advertisement for the Premier League. Despite the pre-match hype the contest at Anfield this evening at no point caught fire and Jose Mourinho will certainly be the happier of the coaches as a solid defensive display from his United side contributed to the low entertainment factor in Liverpool tonight.
A totally forgettable first half with no discernible goal scoring chances improved ever so slightly in the second period as Klopp's side lost the early shackles and took the game to the visitors. Two excellent saves from Spanish No. 1 David de Gea from a Can and Coutinho effort (easily Liverpool's best player on the night) ensured that the scoreboard remained blank in a game that will certainly not remain long in the memory for the 54.000 hardy souls at Anfield tonight.
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United: full time
FT - All over at Anfield as points are shared in a game that really failed to live up to its pre-match billing
Substitution: Young off and Shaw on for United
Min 92 | Fellaini booked by tonight's match official as United are set to make a final change
Min 90 | Into added time.... 3 minutes remain at Anfield
Min 89 | Card for Zlatan as he places an elbow forcefully into Can's neck
Min 88 | Time running out at Anfield and Mourinho will be the happier with the result as things stand
Substitute for Liverpool: Moreno on for Millner
Substitute for Liverpool: Origi on for Firmino
Min 83 | Great defensive play from Valencia as he snuffs out a Liverpool attack sliding the ball clear as Firmino bore down on the United goal. The defensive play from the visitors tonight has been impressive.
Min 81 | A rare United break forward as Valencia fires across a dangerous ball that Can nods out for a corner. Nothing comes from the dead ball.
Min 80 | Into the last ten at Anfield and no sign of the deadlock being broken.
Substitute: Rashford off and Rooney on for United
Min 74 | Firmino breaks through and bears down on the United goal but sadly for the Brazilian the linesman's flag was up. Wayne Rooney warms up on the touchline.
Min 72 | As if by magic, Coutinho fires an excellent 25 yard right foot curler on target but a fantastic David de Gea diving save tips the ball around the post . That's more like it !
Min 70 | If ever a game needs some Pogba "magic" or some Coutinho creativity it's tonight's match. The second half sadly taking a similar patter to the first with little of goal mouth incident to reflect on.
Min 67 | Play held up after a collision between Millner and Pogba, the English international seems to have come off worse from the challenge
Min 66 | Lallana wins a corner for the Reds but the move breaks sown as Smalling is pushed in the area. Free for United.
Min 65 | Our resident Liverpool expert is blaming Mourinho's "negative tactics" for the poor footballing fare being served up at Anfield this evening.
Min 62 | Sane takes a touch too many with options on and concedes possession. As per the first half neither team able to stamp their mark of authority on proceedings.
Min 60 | Possession: 64-36% for the home side
Substitute for Liverpool: Lallana on for Sturridge
Min 59 | Emre Can gets a shot on target and forces De Gea into action but the Spaniard does well to get down and palm the ball away from goal
Min 57 | Dangerous free-kick for Liverpool as Coutinho is obstructed.
Min 55 | A Pogba cross gets a connection from Zlatan but the Swedes player's header drifts across the face of the goal. A glimmer of excitement !
Min 54 | October 2011 is the last time a Liverpool-United league game ended in a draw.
Min 53 | Foul count: Liverpool 7-11 United
Min 48 | Firmino breaks down the left hand flank and fires across a decent ball into the area which misses everyone.
Min 46 | ...and we're underway at Anfield.
Teams are back on the pitch and it will be Liverpool to get us underway in the second period
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United: half time summary:
First things first, this is far from a classic! As Spanish commentator Sixto Miguel stated: "Two of the biggest names in global football, the biggest game in England and if you told me I was watching Swansea vs. Sunderland I'd believe you". Things can only get better as 90's popsters D:Ream once sang... we'll see.... Mourinho will be the happier of the managers in the dressing room currently.
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United: first half
Min 45 | We'll have one minute of added time as Young goes into the book for protesting
Min 44 | First card of the night goes to Eric Bailly as he clips Sturridge from behind.
Min 40 | Liver-pool, Liver-pooool ...rings out the chant from the fans at Anfield, undaunted by the lack of goal scoring opportunities in the game so far.
Min 38 | Coutinho looking like Liverpool's best bet for creative output this evening with the Brazilian starring to stamp his mark in the centre of the park.
Min 36 | Adam Lallana warming up for the Reds.
Min 35 | Clearly a fear factor at play this evening with neither side willing to take any risks
Min 34 | Brighter from Liverpool with Lovern and Firmino starting to link up well and move the ball around with more zest.
Min 31 | Play held up as Liverpool are awarded a free-kick but Millner fires tamely into De Gea's arms. Sums up the game so far....poor !
Min 28 | Mourinho will be the happier of the two coach's with the way things are going at Anfield. His side are shading proceedings and walking away from Liverpool with a point would be considered a positive result for the away side.
Min 24 | Sir Alex Ferguson is in attendance at Anfield tonight.
Min 20 | United dominating proceedings in terms of possession tonight against a Liverpool side that, under Jurgen Klopp are the side with most possession in the Premier League this season.
Min 17 | Plenty of tension and noise in Anfield so far this evening but little in the way of free flowing football with neither side finding a rhythm and nothing resembling a goal scoring chance in the first stage of tonight's game.
Min 16 | Karius called into action as the ball falls comfortably into the German goalkeepers arms
Min 15 | Possession: Liverpool 39-61 Man. United
Min 13 | Whistles ring out from the home crowd every-time Zlatan touches the ball!
Min 10 | A long range ball headed for Sturridge is just over-hit with the striker failing to get the ball under control.
Min 9 | Liverpool starting to dominate proceedings with a string of nice neat passing moves. Neither keeper yet to be tested.
Min 5 | Referee Taylor is the busiest person on the Anfield pitch with foul after foul in the opening first five minutes this evening as Zlatan fires a speculative long range free-kick that was always going up and over.
Min 5 | A tense start at Anfield with neither side finding any rhythm with play broken up by niggly fouls.
Min 2 | A hefty challenge from Rashford up-ends James Millner as the referee has a word with the young United player.
Min 1 | We're off, United start proceedings at Anfield with Mister Anthony Taylor our match official this evening.
You'll Never Walk Alone rings out at Anfield with the capacity 54.000 (minus the away section) crowd singing along in acapella...
The teams make their way to the pitch at a packed Anfield. Liverpool in their classic red shirts, red shorts and socks. Manchester United in their away kit of blue shirts, shorts and socks.
Liverpool - Manchester United: teams
Liverpool XI:
Karius, Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner, Henderson, Can, Coutinho, Firmino, Mane, Sturridge
Manchester United XI:
De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Blind; Fellaini, Pogba; Rashford, Herrera, Young; Ibrahimovic.
Liverpool - Manchester United: latest news
20:55 | Former Liverpool players Phil Thompson and Steve McManaman take their seats as the teams emerge from the famous Anfield tunnel.
20:45 | A sole Wayne Rooney strike on the 78th minute mark was enough for United to seal maximum points when both sides last player in a league fixture at Anfield (Jan 17.2016)
20:30 | Liverpool booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals in the return leg with a fabulous goal from Coutinho as the Reds knock out Premier League rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford
20:25 | Last times both sides faced each other at Anfield was in the Europa League back in March where the home side won 2-0 on the night
20:20 | A few raised eyebrows with the omission of Mata for United and Llalna for Liverpool
19:50 | A fresh Autumn evening on Merseyside tonight with a temperature of 10C expected at kick-off and a 63% chance of rain at Anfield this evening.
19:10 | A quick stat attack video to arm you with all the info you need ahead of tonight's game
18:46 | Desperately scratching around for reading material ahead of kick-off at Anfield? Here's AS's Guillem Balagué on José Mourinho late last month.
18:26 | News of a Liverpool old boy today as Javier Mascherano extends his contract at Barcelona. The full story on that is here. Meanwhile, AS's Manolete has had his ear to the ground and has word of both tonight's clubs being in for Atlético Madrid's wing wizard Yannick Carrasco.
17:49 | Mourinho has not lost at Anfield since the 2007 Champions League semi-final, but Man Utd legend Paul Scholes doesn't fancy him to extend that record...
17:03 | Much has been made of tonight's referee, Anthony Taylor, and former officials' chief Keith Hackett has said that he and his family could actually be at risk of retaliation.
16:08 | It's still early days in the Premier League but everyone likes a peak at the table. A 3-0 win for the home side would see them go top on goal difference; while an away victory of 0-2 would see United edge ahead of The Reds. Fine margins, and it's less than 5 hours to go until KO...
15:47 | Ahead of tonight's clash, Didi Hamann and Alan Curbishley have chosen their best combined XI of Liverpool and Manchester United's current sides. Thoughts?
15:31 | William, our resident statto, thought you'd all be interested in seeing this compilation of goals, assists, manager comparisons and more. Is he right?
15:02 | These two clubs are massive around the world and are merchandising machines. But one of them has now been revealed to be the shirt-selling monster of Europe. Find out which one.
14:47 | Brave enough to have flutter on the game? Bet365 will currently give you 6/5 for a Liverpool victory, 13/5 for Man Utd and 12/5 for a draw. Please bet responsibly...and if you don't then please don't blame us!
14:10 | If you're not one of the fifty-odd thousand lucky people to get to the game, maybe you want to know how you can see the game on TV or online. Allow us to provide some clarity on that...although we're sure that you'll be keeping an eye on the minute by minute insights from Paul throughout the game.
13:17 | One of the Spaniards on show tonight is rather excited and remembers his previous matches at Anfield.
12:58 | Heading to the game tonight? Here's some travel advice from the club.
12:15 | 67 - Liverpool have lost more PL matches (27) and also the most league matches (67) against Man Utd than versus any other opponent. Habit. (Thanks OptaJoe!)
11:47 | It's been an interesting season for the two clubs so far. We look at their first seven games and compare.
11:05 | For fans going to Anfield tonight - as well as for those that think the conditions could make a difference to the game styles - it's just tipped over 10°C in Liverpool and is a bit overcast. By the time the game comes around we can expect much of the same. A dry day from the heavens but Klopp likely to have the sprinklers on overtime for a slick passing surface.
Liverpool - Man Utd: preview
A game that is one of the first checked for when the fixture list comes out, this rivalry goes back longer than most and although each side has enjoyed their spells of glory, 2016 marks a period where neither are top dogs in the league or Europe but both have taken bold, yet very different, steps to bring back more success. Tonight they meet in the league to conclude the weekend's Premier League fixtures knowing that much could depend on the outcome...and certainly strong narratives and conclusions will be made on the back of it.
Liverpool
Jürgen Klopp heads into this match knowing that a win will take Liverpool joint top of the Premier League but will be conscious that this adds extra pressure to a team that more often than not this season has had a confident glow about them. That glow, however, has come in spells - devastating at times - and in most of their games there have been reminders of the frailty that remains. The manager has been quick, if unsuccessful, to dampen talk about his direct rivalry with his opposite number José Mourinho, but knows that if his young team can click early tonight and demonstrate the fluidity and speed of intricate passing that has impressed so many onlookers, then a United side that is still to find its identity and swagger is theirs for the taking.
Decisions on who will start tonight will be few. New signings Mane and Wijnaldum will almost certainly start (the latter expected to recover from an international-break knock) with Karius also likely to start between the sticks. The ever-versatile Milner should play at left-back ahead of Moreno, hoping for more penalty opportunities with the centre back partnership of Lovren and Matip there for cover. Up front the fluidity and speed of Coutinho and Firmino - just back from a successful time with Brazil - along with Mane will aim to stretch the United backline. The crowd, recently bumped up to over 54,000 with an extension to the main stand, will provide the appropriate background noise.
Man Utd
The visitors tonight arrive with new manager Mourinho who is well-known, if not well-loved, by the Anfield faithful. His battles and verbals with the club as Chelsea manager have not been forgotten and now that he is in charge of their bitter rivals an extra spice to the game is added. In the summer, Mourinho said he needed four players to complete his squad and the club allocated funds quickly to secure Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and, eventually, Paul Pogba for a world record fee. The expectation from fans and many experts in the game were that these players, plus the 'special' factor of the manager, would lead to a much improved United and a potential title challenge. Could tonight see the realisation of that anticipation?
Mourinho has an almost clean bill of health across the squad and is unlikely to go for anything less than his strongest starting line up - or at least one for the challenge faced. Spaniard Juan Mata was suspected to be a bit part player this term - after Mourinho choosing to sell the creative midfielder when at Chelsea - but seems to have won deserved favour in a red shirt and could be the provider for Lingard, Rashford and Ibra tonight. If that is the case then it means that Wayne Rooney is again benched. Another Spaniard, Ander Herrera, is getting more game-time too and is allowing a defensive and controlled platform for Pogba to break forward when possession is won back. Mourinho knows what Liverpool will do tonight: the question is whether he gets his side to puff out their chests and go for the jugular, or if he reverts to a deep lying, counter-attacking approach with which some cynics still associate him.
Liverpool - Manchester Utd: live match build-up
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