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Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League table after registering a comprehensive 3-1 win over Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp's men were deserving winners after they conjured a dominating performance over their rivals on a cold rainy night under the lights on Merseyside.
The Reds took the lead through Sadio Mane in the 24th minute when Fabinho played a delightful weighted lob pass to find the Senegalese forward, who controlled the ball with his chest before finishing it expertly beyond David de Gea. However, the lead would last for just nine minutes, courtesy of an error from the hosts' multi-million summer-recruit Alisson Becker, who presented the Red Devils with a lifeline in the 33rd minute.
Romelu Lukaku blasted a waist-high cross from the left flank to which Alisson got both hands, but the Brazilian spilled the ball and it fell kindly to the onrushing Jesse Lingard, who found the back of the net from close range to bring the visitors level ahead of the interval.
Liverpool continued to dominate proceedings in the second half and had to wait until the 73rd minute to find the goal that would put them ahead once again on the night. Xherdan Shaqiri, who replaced Naby Keita in the 70th minute, found the back of the net with a little help from a deflection off Ashley Young and the underside of the bar to edge the hosts ahead, just three minutes after his introduction.
Shaqiri went on to grab his second in the 80th minute when he scored yet again with a little help from a deflection as Liverpool capped off a brilliant display that helped them restore their slender one-point lead over Manchester City at the summit of the league table. On that note, let's take a closer look at the best and worst performers from the game at Anfield:
#5 Hit - Andrew Robertson
Andrew Robertson has been a revelation at Liverpool since muscling his way into Jurgen Klopp's plans last season. The full-back, who has forged himself a reputation of being one of the best in what he does in the Premier League, was at the top of his game against Manchester United at Anfield.
Robertson's stellar showing on the left flank for the hosts forced Jose Mourinho to change his shape and replace Diogo Dalot with Marouane Fellaini during the half-time interval. The Scot was equally adept in attack as in defence and proved to be a willing runner for his team on the wide areas.
The 24-year-old was so good that he warranted commendable praise from Mourinho, who claimed that he was thoroughly impressed with Robertson's performance on the night:
"I am still tired just looking at [ANDY]Robertson. He makes 100-metre sprints every minute, absolutely incredible, and these are qualities," Mourinho said after the defeat to Liverpool.
#4 Flop - Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera was deployed alongside Nemanja Matic in midfield for Manchester United as Jose Mourinho opted against naming the club's record-signing Paul Pogba in the starting eleven. The Spaniard struggled to cope with Liverpool's fluidity in midfield and could not make any notable contributions with the ball at his feet.
Herrera was not offered any sort of stability by Matic either as the visitors' midfield was completely overrun by Jurgen Klopp's men on the night. The 29-year-old was careless at times and failed to make the best use of his opportunities to build attacks from within Manchester United's half.
Herrera was also comprehensively beaten by Sadio Mane, during the build-up to Liverpool's second goal, when the forward created the danger by providing the decisive pass to Xherdan Shaqiri, who scored with a little help from Ashley Young and the underside of the bar.
#3 Hit - Fabinho
Fabinho arguably conjured his best performance in a Liverpool shirt during the win over Manchester United. The Brazilian was almost flawless in midfield and the confidence was there to see for everyone as he pulled the strings in midfield for Liverpool quite effortlessly.
Despite struggling to make an impact early on in his Liverpool career, Fabinho has slowly but steadily impressed Jurgen Klopp to an extent that the German decided to hand him a starting role in such a high-intensity game in the Premier League. The midfielder's pass to find Sadio Mane was sublime, to say the least, and the weight on it was astutely measured for the Senegalese to break the deadlock.
However, that was not the only time he conjured similar output as he continued to look up and pick out passes, while also contributing to breaking up play and recycling possession to give Liverpool the upper-hand in midfield. The only reason why he is not at the top of this list is due to a certain phenomenon that turned the game on its head, and you guessed it right!
#2 Flop - Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot started the game on the right flank for Manchester United and did not enjoy a particularly great first 45 minutes against the likes of Sadio Mane and Andrew Robertson. The Portuguese youngster had played at Anfield before and helped Porto keep a clean sheet against Liverpool in the Champions League last year, but failed to replicate the same level of performance on Sunday.
The full-back offered very little cover to Matteo Darmian and was completely dominated by Robertson, who was at his productive best throughout the game. Dalot offered very little while going forward and was undone almost every single time by the intensity and robust nature of Robertson, who gave a nightmarish experience to the defender.
Jose Mourinho decided to withdraw Dalot during the half-time interval as the Red Devils opted for a change in shape, but to no avail, involving Marouane Fellaini to cap off a forgetful evening on Merseyside for the player.
#1 Hit - Xherdan Shaqiri
Liverpool needed a hero and Xherdan Shaqiri popped up and delivered the goods just minutes after coming off the bench. Jurgen Klopp's brave decision to introduce Shaqiri for the final 20 minutes deserves credit and perhaps, it warranted the right amount of luck as well. The Switzerland international instantly made an impact when he put the hosts ahead just three minutes after coming on.
Shaqiri got on the end of a pass from Sadio Mane to dispatch a shot on goal that took a deflection off Ashley Young before clipping the underside of the bar and eventually finding the back of the net, to leave David de Gea with no chance.
The 27-year-old would send Anfield into a delirium of noise yet again with another deflected shot that found the back of the net in the 80th minute to underline his credentials within the star-studded Liverpool squad.
A brace within the space of seven minutes after coming off the bench against Manchester United to win the game for Liverpool and help them return to the summit of the Premier League table was just about enough for him to pip Fabinho, who was exceptional within his own rights, to the top of this list.
