United end Liverpool’s golden run
Dropping points doesn’t seem so frustrating this time for Manchester United. Even against Liverpool.
While holding on to inflict Liverpool’s first loss of the season was beyond this patched-up United squad, a 1-1 draw still ended the English Premier League leader’s perfect start yesterday.
It’s a sign of United’s fall from grace that frustrating their fiercest rivals represents progress in the midst of the team’s worst start for three decades.
Adam Lallana’s 85th minute tap-in for Liverpool, cancelling out Marcus Rashford’s first-half opener, meant United have now lost eight points from winning positions this campaign.
But United stopped Liverpool recording a Premier League record-equaling 18th successive victory, extending back into last season.
Small comfort perhaps when Liverpool are six points clear of defending champions Manchester City at the top of the standings and United are remarkably only two points above the relegation zone.
‘‘We deserved the three points,’’ Rashford said. ‘‘I don’t think they did enough to get a draw or a win. Of course it’s disappointing. It’s obviously a big opportunity missed, a big game, a big occasion for players and fans and we just fell short.
‘‘We can play a lot better, especially attacking. There’s still a lot of work to do.’’
Still, it was the first time Liverpool had failed to win in the league since a draw with Everton in March.
‘‘The result is good,’’ Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. ‘‘It’s not what we wanted before the game. But the way it developed I feel we have to be happy. We take the point because for a long time they were 1-0 up.
‘‘We had good moments in the second half but I didn’t like the first half, because we gave Manchester United opportunities to do what they wanted.’’
This was a day when Liverpool struggled to impose themselves on a United side low in confidence.
But Klopp’s second-half changes paid off. Lallana, who replaced Jordan Henderson around the hour, ghosted in at the far post to meet Andy Robertson’s cross for his first goal since May 2017.
Liverpool fans were already in party mood before kickoff at the home of their greatest rival.
They weren’t just goading United about ‘‘going down’’. They’d brought balloons in the shape of sixes. Where better to celebrate their sixth European Cup triumph in June than at the club with only three successes?
Especially on a day when some United fans turned on their leadership in a very public way. A banner calling for the departure of executive vice chairman Ed Woodward was flown over Old Trafford before kickoff, with fans protesting against the owning Glazer family outside.
With Woodward vowing to stick by Solskjaer after 10 months in charge, the players showed the determination so often missing.
‘‘It’s his best game maybe in his 10 months for me,’’ Solskjaer said of Rashford.
‘‘He runs off shoulders [of defenders], chases, defends well, got hold of the ball, had a nice little race with Virgil Van Dijk. You could see he is growing and getting stronger.’’