Liverpool vs Manchester United LIVE: Premier League result and reaction after Diogo Dalot red card late on
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United: Jurgen Klopp’s side were frustrated by the visitors as Erik ten Hag’s men held on to claim a point
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Liverpool missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League table as Manchester United frustrated their rivals at Anfield to earn a battling point for under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag.
The Reds dominated possession but were sloppy on the ball in what was a poor contest, with Trent Alexander-Arnold going closest with a shot from outside the box that narrowly crept wide of the post.
United defended deep and grew in threat as the match went on, with Rasmus Hojlund forces a save from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson in the second half. Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana was far busier but wasn’t seriously tested despite a series of effort from the hosts. United’s Diogo Dalot was sent off in stoppage time for dissent towards referee Michael Oliver.
Liverpool started the weekend top but slip down to third following wins for Arsenal and Aston Villa on Sunday. United, who drew a Premier League game for the first time this season, are seventh but avoided a third straight defeat after losses against Bournemouth and Bayern Munich this week.
Follow all the action below plus get the latest odds and tips for the match right here:
Liverpool vs Manchester United - team news
The teams are in!
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endo, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Manchester United XI: Onana; Dalot, Evans, Varane, Shaw; Mainoo, Amrabat; Antony, McTominay, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Liverpool vs Manchester United - team news coming shortly
We’ve got just under five minutes until today’s team news comes out. A few injuries - especially in the United camp - to deal with but we’re no expecting any huge surprises. A reminder of how we think both teams will line up:
Liverpool predicted XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Jones, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Manchester United predicted XI: Onana; Dalot, Evans, Varane, Shaw; Mainoo, Amrabat; Rashford, McTominay, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Erik ten Hag responds amid Manchester United sack rumours and Graham Potter links
Erik ten Hag has insisted he is not worried he will lose his job as Manchester United manager.
Former Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has been tipped to succeed Ten Hag while the imminent investment of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos will bring a different power structure at Old Trafford.
United have lost 12 games this season, including their last two, and crashed out of the Champions League with just four points.
But Ten Hag brushed aside talk of the sack. “I am not concerned about that,” he said.
He has enjoyed the backing of the current regime, including football director John Murtough, and said: “I feel that and they tell it but actually that is fine and that is OK but I am focusing on the process, to make this team play better, make the individuals better and that is my concern.”
Alisson: ‘I would try to set my teammates on fire’ if Liverpool lost 7-0
Alisson Becker was spotting the similarities when others might have cited the differences between arguably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League and perhaps the most criticised. “I went through something similar to what he is living,” he reflected.”
Coming from an Italian club to England, to a big club, for a lot of money.” His own £65m fee, then a world record for a goalkeeper, is rarely mentioned these days, a product of his own excellence; he made swapping Serie A for England look easy, winning the Champions League in his first season and the Premier League in his second.
Andre Onana’s £43m price, however, has been mentioned more amid his torrid start to life at Manchester United. They will be 100 yards apart on Sunday, opposites in more than just the fact it is Liverpool against Manchester United.
Read Richard Jolly’s interview with Liverpool keeper Alisson ahead of today’s match:
Alisson: ‘I would try to set my teammates on fire’ if Liverpool lost 7-0
INTERVIEW: The Liverpool No 1 tells Richard Jolly about the prospect of Manchester United returning to the scene of their greatest humiliation, the similarities between him and Andre Onana and how Jurgen Klopp’s current squad compare to the 2020 champions
Jurgen Klopp creates Liverpool 2.0 to expose Man Utd’s enduring problem
For Manchester United, Sunday will be going back to where it all started to go wrong. Or, at least, where this latest phase started to go wrong. Erik ten Hag’s players were shaken when they returned to the Anfield dressing room after last season’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool.
There is now a feeling that that result might have had more of an effect than people realised at the time. It was almost worse that it came so soon after the supposed launchpad moment of that Carabao Cup victory against Newcastle. The extent of the humiliation eroded a lot of the confidence and conviction that had been built during the cup run.
That, of course, doesn’t mean the players lost faith in Ten Hag or anything of the sort, but the sense of progress had been severely stunted. It is conspicuous that United have barely had a convincing performance since, although there are obvious many other reasons for that. The United squad was stretched even in the build-up to that final. It all caved in against exactly the wrong opposition.
Jurgen Klopp creates Liverpool 2.0 to expose Man Utd’s enduring problem
The Red Devils face a daunting trip to Anfield, the scene of their greatest humiliation under Erik ten Hag in last season’s 7-0 defeat, with no sign of a brighter future
Erik ten Hag returns to scene of his greatest humiliation aiming to save Manchester United job
Erik ten Hag has not subjected Manchester United’s squad to a video nasty. Or not this particular one, anyway. Ten Hag can show his players clips from previous games; he used footage from their win over Chelsea to prepare for Bayern Munich.
Revisiting March’s 7-0 thrashing at Anfield, however, is not on his agenda. “I don’t think it’s the right thing [to do],” the United manager said. “Last year, it was the past. What we can change is the future.”
Both the past and the future have a pertinence, however, as Ten Hag returns to the scene of United’s heaviest ever defeat to Liverpool. Nine months ago, he had a team in ripe form, one that had won a trophy a week earlier.
He had a fit Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, but both will miss the rematch. He had Bruno Fernandes available, but now his captain is suspended. He had Marcus Rashford in such form that the forward went to Merseyside with 17 goals in his previous 20 games; now he has not scored in open play for more than three months. Then he faced a Liverpool team eight points behind United.
And still his side lost 7-0.
Erik ten Hag returns to the scene of his greatest humiliation aiming to save his job
Liverpool were 7-0 winners the last time United visited Anfield. Another embarrassment by their fierce rivals could spell the end of the road for Ten Hag as manager
Liverpool vs Manchester United - predicted line-ups
We’ve still got about 45 minutes until we have the confirmed starting XI’s for today’s game but here is how we think both sides might line up:
Liverpool predicted XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Jones, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Manchester United predicted XI: Onana; Dalot, Evans, Varane, Shaw; Mainoo, Amrabat; Rashford, McTominay, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Liverpool vs Manchester United - early team news
A long Liverpool injury list includes Alexis Mac Allister, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota and Andy Robertson, but the rest of Jurgen Klopp’s first XI should be recalled after being spared the Thursday night trip to Belgium. Joe Gomez impressed at right back against Crystal Palace and could start, allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to move into midfield.
Manchester United will be without Bruno Fernandes, with their captain suspended after picking up a fifth booking of the Premier League season against Bournemouth. Marcus Rashford could return from illness but Anthony Martial is set to again be absent, and Harry Maguire’s midweek groin injury may well rule him out. Luke Shaw could yet feature, though.
Liverpool vs Manchester United - key things to know
When is Liverpool vs Manchester United?
Liverpool vs Manchester United is due to kick off at 4.30pm GMT on Sunday 17 December at Anfield.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage from 4pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via Sky Go.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Good afternoon!
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live blog for today’s crunch fixture between Liverpool and Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp’s side are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table after three straight league wins and will hope to put more ground between themselves and defending champions Manchester City, who drew against Crystal Palace yesterday.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have won just one of their last four games in all competitions and sit and will be looking to avoid what would already be their eighth league defeat of the season. Erik ten Hag’s side lost 7-0 in this fixture last season. What will today bring about?
Stay tuned for all the latest build-up, team news, match updates and post-match reaction!
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