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Gameweek 17 brought us one of the biggest fixtures of the season with Liverpool facing off with Manchester United at Anfield. This season has seen Liverpool emerge as one of the serious title contenders while United has sunk into a mid-table tussle of sorts.
Liverpool hosted United on the back of a 17 game unbeaten streak in the Premier League. However, prior to the game, Klopp had never beaten United since taking the charge of Liverpool in 2015.
Mane scored the opener for the Reds before United capitalised on Alisson's mistake. United's dreams came crashing soon after Shaqiri came off the bench and struck twice in a matter of minutes.
The win has taken Liverpool to the top of the table, one point above the defending champions Manchester City while United are currently sitting at the sixth position, 19 points off the top and 11 points off from the Champions League spots.
Overall it was a well-deserved win for the Reds. So let's take a look at how each of their player performed against Manchester United.
Alisson Becker - 5/10
United didn't test Alisson much from their play, however, the giant Brazilian shot-stopper clumsily fumbled an easy cross into Jesse Lingard's path to offer United an equaliser out of nothing in the 33rd minute of the game.
Nathaniel Clyne - 6.5/10
With the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, Clyne has become the third-choice right back for Liverpool and has hardly earned any minutes this season. In terms of commitment and energy full marks to the Englishman but it was his passing and defensive duties that looked a tad bit rusty.
Dejan Lovren - 7/10
The self-proclaimed best defender in the world could have done better to cut out the cross from Lukaku that led to United's equaliser however he shouldn't be blamed for it as Alisson was the culprit for the goal.
t was a no non-sense defending from the Croatian otherwise, clearing the ball whenever needed but blasted a shot over the goal from inside the six-yard box missing out the opportunity to double up on the Reds lead.
Virgil van Dijk - 8/10
Van Dijk was rock solid at the back once more
The arrival of the Dutchman has transformed a leaky Liverpool defence from last season into a defensive juggernaut this season. He single-handedly muscled Lukaku out of the game keeping him quiet for the majority of the play.
Andrew Robertson - 6.5/10
The Scottish International has been a revelation at the left-back position for Liverpool since his arrival from Hull City last season. Consistency seems to be the name of his game, however, it was one of those rare nights where he looked a bit off. Defensively and offensively sound, it was his set-pieces that let him down.
Sadio Mané - 8/10
It was a sublime finish by the Senegalese to score Liverpool's opener. Despite having a horror show in front of the goal against Napoli a few nights ago, Mane kept his composure to chest down a wonderfully worked up pass by Fabinho before calmly putting it past De Gea. Throughout the game, his pace kept troubling the United defenders.
Georginio Wijnaldum- 7.5/10
One of the lesser appreciated Liverpool players, Wijnaldum kept doing what he does best, a little bit of everything. He broke up play, passed the ball to initiate attacks and was present to take a couple of shots too. It was an all-round performance by the Dutch midfielder.
Fabinho- 8.5/10
Fabinho in action
After taking a few struggling months to settle down at Anfield, the Brazilian is certainly up and running, evident by his match-winning display against United. He was running the show in midfield, dominating the play and creating chances for his team. The assist to Mane's goal was absolutely majestic.
Naby Keïta - 6/10
There's no doubt about the Guinean's abilities, as he has shown his dynamism day in and day out for Liverpool in the last couple of months. But he certainly failed to impose himself in the game often being careless while having the possession.
Roberto Firmino - 8/10
It was an enchanting performance by the Brazilian. He often dropped down deep to gather up the ball before moving it up the pitch to start out an attack. His movement occasionally opened up spaces for Salah and Mane. He was the catalyst for Liverpool's opener too, passing the ball to Fabinho.
Mohamed Salah - 7/10
Liverpool scoring thrice and Salah not being on the scoresheet is an unusual event, it doesn't happen often. However, it was visible from United's play that they knew how destructive the Egyptian can be. United's defence was set up to suppress the wrath of Salah, with him often being marked by two men. He still put up a convincing performance through his movement within the United defence and his little one-two passes.
Substitutes
Xherdan Shaqiri - 8.5/10
He came on off the bench for Keita at the 70th minute. If there's anything that you want as a manager from your substitute, it is what Shaqiri delivered today. Though both of his goals were subjected to deflections, it was him who was the game changer.
Jordan Henderson - N/A
He came on for Mane at the 84th minute. He didn't have enough playing time to influence the game.
