Why Ruben Amorim isn’t impressed after spirited display at Liverpool – Weekly Takeaway

In a game where Manchester United were written off beforehand by almost everybody, they will certainly feel a bit hard done by to leave Anfield with only a point, after a brilliant display in a thrilling 2-2 draw against league-leaders Liverpool.

Probably the best away performance for the best part of three years from United, and to take into consideration they were up against arguably the best side in the world and coming off the back of four straight defeats, it was nothing short of a great result. Liverpool had chances to win the game but the last kick of the game fell to probably the last man you would want it to as a United fan, Harry Maguire, who blazed his effort over the bar. We will never know whether the goal would have stood, as Joshua Zirkzee may have been offside, but a huge chance nonetheless.

Some real standout performances from Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte, who were all excellent in midfield, and Diogo Dalot with arguably his best performance of the season. Over the whole 90 minutes, United fans couldn’t have had too many complaints about individuals, apart from two key lapses in judgement from Matthijs de Ligt, which did ultimately gift Liverpool both of their goals. Apart from that, a near faultless performance from the whole team.

United will likely not get the credit they deserve in the media, as Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane discussed how poor Liverpool were rather than giving United credit for a tactical display that was spot on, but it should give the away side a lot of belief going into the New Year and the next few games. The set-up was brilliant, as Ruben Amorim seemed to go for a 5-4-1 off the ball rather than the usual 5-3-2, in an attempt to close down the space in midfield, leading to a lot of turnovers in possession and counterattacks down Trent Alexander-Arnold’s side.

The glaring issue for United, yet again, was the lack of a clinical striker, as Hojlund missed the best chance of the first half and lacked involvement in the game as a whole. There has been talk of potential swap deals in the January transfer window, mostly involving Marcus Rashford and Victor Osimhen, and after today’s game, we could see that option potentially exercised in the next few weeks.

A lot of contenders for Player of the Match today, but for me it would have to be Ugarte. Another away game against one of the big six where he has been absolutely crucial in the midfield, winning countless duels and has been surprisingly good in possession as well. His turnaround since Amorim’s arrival has been well-received amongst United supporters and even rival fans.

A big shoutout to Leny Yoro for his last-ditch tackle on Darwin Nunez just after coming off the bench, and Amad Diallo for another massive goal in a big away game.

A lot of positives to take for sure, but there will undoubtedly be a lot of United fans left disappointed that we haven’t left with three points today.