Wastefulness, late goals and 5 talking points from Man United’s draw with Liverpool

Man United 2-2 Liverpool: Mohamed Salah’s late penalty shared the points after a wild match

(Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Liverpool missed the chance to go top as they drew at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, 2-2 the final score.

Luis Diaz scored the opener, firing home after Darwin Nunez flicked on a corner, but Liverpool then wasted several clear chances - Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Nunez all included - before the home team equalised out of nothing, Bruno Fernandes scoring a long-ranger after Jarell Quansah’s misplaced pass.

Kobbie Mainoo then curled in a brilliant second for United, with the visitors then needing a Mohamed Salah penalty to equalise late on and go level on points with Arsenal, who stay top on goal difference.

Here are the big talking points we took from the game at Old Trafford.

Young centre-backs show their quality...and inexperience

No Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate, Johnny Evans, Joel Matip or Victor Lindelof in the starting lineups, so one defender apiece lined up in this most tempestuous of fixtures who have made fewer than 40 senior appearances between them.

Willy Kambwala struggled in the opening exchanges, particularly against Nunez, but certainly grew into the match and was one of the characters the crowd responded to as well when United needed a lift.

Meanwhile, Jarell Quansah was exceptional in the first 48 minutes - then inexplicably gifted the ball to Bruno Fernandes who scored from 50 yards with the home team’s first shot of the game.

Big careers no doubt ahead for both, but there were learning curves to take from this fixture all the same.

Echoes of FA Cup in crazy encounter

The recent meeting between the two teams at this ground was a back-and-forth FA Cup encounter which United eventually triumphed in after extra time.

It initially appeared as though this fixture would be far less crazy than that one was, and by goal count perhaps that was so, but the scoreline in relation to the passages of play was certainly strange for much of the second half.

Liverpool had been by far the better team but found themselves behind, only to then draw level late on again and ultimately leave Old Trafford feeling both relieved and immensely infuriated.

No defence from number of shots on goal

A large amount of criticism came the way of Manchester United in the first half from the Sky Sports commentary team, as Erik ten Hag’s team continued their generous approach to allowing teams shots on goal.

Liverpool were fast out the blocks and had 15 attempts in the first 45 minutes, compared to zero from United.

This came after they allowed 28, 31, 25, 23 and 27 shots in their previous five fixtures, against Chelsea, Brentford, Liverpool, Everton and Man City respectively.

And yet as United perhaps showed after the restart, making them count is most important - they scored their first and fifth shots to lead the game 2-1 despite an xG of just 0.32.

Will wastefulness cost Liverpool the title?

They’ve had plenty of games this season where their attack has obliterated the opposition, but of late Liverpool have been far more profligate and that was the case here again at Old Trafford.

One goal from 15 shots first half and two - including the penalty - from 28 overall shows the same was the case today.

Luis Diaz rifled over from close range very late on, Nunez spurned a couple of opportunities and Salah very much had an off-day - the forward line was way below its collective best and they need to rediscover that killer touch quickly.

Late goals continue to cost United dear

Having led heading into stoppage time twice last week against Brentford and Chelsea, only to draw and lose the matches respectively, Man United must have been hoping for better after going ahead this time.

But again they failed to get through that final five minutes - a little earlier than injury time, but still the same outcome with points dropped.

Erik ten Hag continues to be incapable of reorganising his side or raising the defensive awareness of the group and it’s seven points in just over a week now dropped from winning positions, very late on in games.