Premier League analysis: Five talking points from Man Utd 2 Liverpool 2

Luis Diaz gave the Reds the lead in the 23rd minute after getting on the end of a Darwn Nunez flick from a well-worked corner.

Manchester United were gifted an equaliser five minutes into the second half after Jarell Quansah’s misplaced pass to Virgil Van Dijk allowed Bruno Fernandes to hit a first-time shot from inside the centre circle past a stranded Caoimhin Kelleher.

Then 18 year-old central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo completed the turnaround with a sensational curling effort in the 67th minute.

Mohammed Salah rescued a point from the spot in the 84th minute after Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought down Harvey Elliot.

Here, Planet Sport’s Connor Burgess looks at five main talking points as Liverpool were dealt a blow to their title chances by their fiercest rivals as they look to move level with Manchester United and claim their 20th league title.

Liverpool rue wasted chances once again

Liverpool’s lack of edge in front of goal has become a running theme for the Reds as they look to claim their second Premier League title.

Dominik Szoboszlai missed two huge chances in the first half to give his side the lead, with Salah and Conor Bradley also missing chances that could have put the game to bed by half-time.

Nunez could have restored the Reds’ lead in the second half but got it all wrong following a counter-attack and the Uruguayan shot wide with Szoboszlai waiting for a cut-back.  

Liverpool racked up 28 shots, with seven of those on target compared to United’s nine. It was a case of history repeating itself as Jurgen Klopp’s side failed to learn from wasted chances in the 4-3 FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford on St Patrick’s day.

Erik ten Hag also left Anfield with a point back in December, with his side registering only one shot on target in six attempts compared to Liverpool’s 34 shots with eight on target. 

Diaz was criticised for his inability to score in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Anfield last month. The Colombian missed several chances in the match on Sunday as the Reds failed to capitalise on their momentum.

Trent Alexander-Arnold hit the crossbar from a counter-attack in what could have been the winning goal in another 1-1 draw at Anfield against Arsenal in December.

Creating the chances has not been an issue for Liverpool this season, it has been the ability to find the goalscoring touch when it matters most.

Whilst a draw away at Old Trafford is a great result for any side, this match could be one of many that Klopp and his side look back on at the end of the season and wonder what could have been.

Jarrell Quansah’s costly mistake

Quansah allowed Manchester United back into the game on Sunday, producing a misplaced back pass under no pressure for Fernandes to hit a 50-yard first-time effort to equalise for the Red Devils.

The decision to select the youngster over Ibrahima Konate raised eyebrows as Liverpool looked to right the wrongs of their FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford last month.

Quansah enjoyed a solid first half performance as Liverpool dominated the match. The defender has barely put a foot out of place when called upon by Klopp this season - but his side’s first-half dominance was wiped out in a split-second decision. 

Liverpool should have been out of sight by half-time due to their first-half chances but Quansah’s mistake proved to be a defining moment in the fixture.

Quansah has enjoyed a remarkable breakout for Liverpool this season - the 21 year-old has been thrust into the side following Joel Matip’s season-ending injury that draws a close to the defender's eight-year stint at Anfield.

Klopp has trusted his young centre-back to start in matches against Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal - and he has fit seamlessly into the backline.

The England Under-21 international has racked up 28 appearances for the Reds, scoring his first goal in the 2-1 defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise and featuring heavily throughout the League Cup-winning campaign.

Kobbie Mainoo delivers again

Mainoo has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season to establish himself in the Manchester United first team.

Ten Hag’s faith in the youngster was rewarded as he gave his side the lead with a fantastic curling effort for his second Premier League goal of the season.

He made his debut in the 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park in November and has started in 17 matches for Manchester United this season.

The 18-year-old’s form prompted a call-up to the England senior team and he was selected to start in the 2-2 draw with Belgium.

Mainoo has established himself as a first-team regular at Old Trafford and his first home goal for the club against Liverpool will certainly boost his chances for Euro 2024.

His first goal for the club came in the 4-3 victory over Wolves as the youngster scored a 97th-minute winner at Molineux to put his name in the headlines.

The youngster has been a shining light in an underwhelming season for United who sit in sixth place in the Premier League, 11 points behind Tottenham in fourth.

Whilst another late goal cost United all three points on the day, Mainoo will be hoping to continue his stellar form into the business end of the season as his side aim to finish in the Champions League places.

READ MORE: Kobbie Mainoo: Small mistakes cost Man Utd the win against Liverpool

VAR at the centre of attention once again

Referee Anthony Taylor awarded Liverpool a penalty and a chance to equalise in the final 10 minutes of the match.

Wan-Bissaka brought down Elliott in the 82nd minute and John Brooks on VAR with his assistant Richard West were tasked with checking the decision.

The officials decided to uphold the on-field decision and Salah sent Onana the wrong way to secure Liverpool a point.

It was the second time in a week that United conceded a spot-kick from a winning position.

Diogo Dalot brought down Noni Madueke in the 100th minute of their 4-3 loss on Thursday, which allowed Cole Palmer to equalise for Chelsea - and the former Manchester City man scored the winner at Stamford Bridge a minute later with virtually the last kick of the game.

A slow-motion replay of the foul on Elliott was shared on X, formerly Twitter, as fans took to social media to vent their frustrations as they believed the Liverpool man dived for the spot-kick.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher agreed with the decision to award the penalty on Sky Sports: Ref Watch. 

He said: “I think penalty. I think if you make a challenge like this, the expectation from me was penalty when I first saw it. People say ‘is there a lot of contact?’ He dives in, he definitely makes contact.

“People say well, has Elliot initiated contact? I think he's just stood his ground. My expectation was penalty and he gave it, I think it's right.”

Liverpool ‘should have won’ as they fail to beat another top-six side

Klopp took his side to Old Trafford for the final time as Liverpool manager as he plans to leave Anfield at the end of the season.

In his post-match press conference, the German reflected on a missed opportunity for the Reds.

He said: “Now you can say if we have that much of a dominance in long parts of the game, we should win the game. Yes, that's true. 

“But you are all long enough in football that doesn’t mean you will win, that just means you should and that’s obviously different.

“I’m not over the moon about it, I don’t think that's the best result I’ve ever seen - but I’m fine (with the result).”

As Liverpool find themselves in a fourth Premier League title race under the German, their form against the other top-six sides has been a cause for concern this season.

Sunday’s draw with Manchester United was the sixth time Liverpool have shared the points in a match against the top-six sides, spanning back to their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on the opening day of the season.

Chelsea are the only side the Reds have managed to beat this season, recording a 4-1 win at Anfield in January.

Klopp has suffered defeat twice in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal away from home and the controversial 2-1 loss to Tottenham when Diaz’s goal was incorrectly disallowed.

Wasted chances and VAR controversies have denied the Reds three points in matches against Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Liverpool’s inability to beat the big sides in the league could prove costly as Klopp looks to bow out of his Anfield tenure with a second Premier League title.

With his side dropping to second and level on points with first-placed Arsenal following Sunday’s draw, Tottenham’s visit to Anfield next month will be Liverpool’s final chance to take points off one of the Premier League’s ‘top six’.

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