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Manchester United versus Liverpool is one of the biggest fixtures in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's side continued their sensational start to the season, as they cruised to a routine 2-0 victory against their arch-rivals, courtesy of goals either side of half time.
The game started slowly as United were successful in frustrating Liverpool's forwards. The hosts were maintaining a lot of possession but could not find the all-important first goal. They were finally rewarded for their efforts when Virgil van Dijk headed in to score the first goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner kick.
Liverpool found the back of the net again through Roberto Firmino, however, his goal was disallowed after a VAR check for a foul on David De Gea in the build-up. The hosts continued their dominance in the first half, however, United had their chance as well. Andreas Pereira should have scored the equalizer when Aaron Wan-Bissaka found him unmarked in front of the goal.
Liverpool started the second-half with better intent. They kept the ball in United's half and created multiple chances. The hosts were relentless in their search for another goal, as Mohamed Salah was guilty of missing an absolute sitter and Jordan Henderson's shot on goal was saved by the excellent De Gea.
Anthony Martial should have scored when he was through on goal. Liverpool needed another goal to ensure three points, and, it came through Salah in the last minute of the game. United had committed forward for a corner kick. Alisson Becker sent Salah through on goal and the Egyptian finished with ease to score his first goal against United.
This result continued Liverpool's march to their first Premier League title. They are now 16 points clear of Manchester City with a game in hand. On the other hand, United stay 5 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the table.
While several players impressed, many others failed to live up to the expectations. Here are five hits and flops from the game
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#5 Hit: David de Gea
Manchester United's plan was to absorb the pressure from Liverpool and try to score on the counter. They were able to contain Liverpool's forwards for the majority of the game and David de Gea played a huge role in that.
Liverpool were not able to score more due to the Spanish goalkeeper's heroics in goal. He made some crucial saves from Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mané. The goalkeeper also made an amazing save from a long-range shot by Jordan Henderson.
The Spaniard faced criticism this season for making some costly errors, but his performance was a reminder that he still remains capable of producing amazing saves.
#4 Flop: Daniel James
The goal-scoring burden for Manchester United was on the shoulders of Anthony Martial and Daniel James after Marcus Rashford was ruled out of the game. The winger started this season brightly but has struggled for form lately.
James started the game positively. He was able to find space in the early stages of the game. He found himself in dangerous positions on multiple occasions during the first half, however, he was not able to produce the final pass.
The Wales international struggled to get involved in the game during the second half. This was another disappointing performance for the youngster as he continues his search for his first goal since August.
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#3 Hit: Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah missed the previous fixture against Manchester United earlier in the season. Before the game, he had suggested that his team was unable to beat United due to his absence.
The forward started the game slowly. Luke Shaw did not give Salah any space to run into and Salah struggled to make an impact. His involvement increased gradually, however, he missed a golden chance in the 48th minute to score Liverpool's second goal.
The Egyptian finally broke his duck against United in the extra time. He controlled Alisson's pass expertly and finished past David de Gea to score the match-winning goal.
#2 Flop: Andreas Pereira
Andreas Pereira started the game behind Anthony Martial and Daniel James. He was given the responsibility of creating chances for them. His work rate was high, however, that was the only positive aspect about his performance.
The Spaniard should have scored the equalizing goal in the first half. He was guilty of losing the ball on multiple occasions. His passing was not good enough as he failed to live up to his creative duties.
United have been strongly linked with Bruno Fernandes recently. This performance from Pereira highlighted the importance to bring in someone more creative for Manchester United.
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#1 Hit: Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk produced another dominant display for the league leaders. He scored the all-important first goal of the game and marshaled the backline impeccably for the reigning European champions.
Van Dijk was rarely flustered even when United sensed a late equalizer, making some important headed clearances in injury time. His leadership, quality, and calmness helped the hosts to keep United at bay in later stages of the game.
This game was expected to be a battle between the two most expensive center-backs in the world. There is no doubt that Van Dijk came out as the winner in this battle against Harry Maguire.
