5 Liverpool players who underperformed against Manchester United
Liverpool's hopes of climbing to the top of the Premier League table on Sunday were quelled as a resolute Manchester United side held them to a 0-0 draw.
It was far from the result that Jurgen Klopp's side would have hoped for and an injury-ravaged Red Devils will be pleased to have returned from Anfield with a point. The Merseysiders came out of the gates swinging but failed to capitalize on their early momentum.
Manchester United players were pegged back inside their half for most of the match. But they showed tactical discipline and resilience to frustrate and eventually nullify the Liverpool attack. It's worth noting that United lost this exact fixture 7-0 in the 2022-23 Premier League season.
Let's look at five Liverpool players who underperformed against Manchester United without further ado.
#5 Wataru Endo
Wataru Endo goes about his job of acting as a shield for the Liverpool defence with admirable zest. The Japan international is a very effective defensive midfielder and went about breaking up budding Manchester United attacks vigorously on Sunday too.
He won nine of his duels and was rather neat with his passing. However, Endo's effectiveness diminished the higher he got up the pitch. His end product, particularly in and around the final third, was not the expected quality.
His inability to play line-breaking passes also eats into Liverpool's tempo whenever they try to up that ante. The 30-year-old's lack of dynamism hurt Liverpool as the rest of the attackers also had an off-colour outing.
#4 Ryan Gravenberch
When Ryan Gravenberch is playing with a spring in his steps, he looks like he could go on to become a world-beater. The Dutchman is a very efficient ball-progressor thanks to his agility, silky dribbling skills and pace.
However, he has yet to truly integrate himself into this Liverpool midfield and it often feels like Gravenberch plays independently to the unit. The youngster also needs to figure out how to sustain bright starts and convert them into thorough overall performances.
He went down with an injury and had to be substituted in the 61st minute.
#3 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has a great record against Manchester United. He has scored 12 goals and provided four assists against the Red Devils in his career and United defenders were particularly wary of the iconic winger throughout the game.
However, Salah was sloppy in the attacking third and failed to offer much of note especially as the going got tough in the second half. He was a constant threat and a couple of his neat passes came off but his shooting and decision-making were rather poor on the night.
#2 Darwin Nunez
Darwin Nunez's affability quotient and unpredictability have earned him a sort of cult status among the Anfield faithful. But it doesn't look like the Uruguayan centre-forward can get by purely on goodwill for much longer.
He turned in yet another erratic performance on Sunday and failed to capitalize on the chances he was afforded.
Nunez also intentionally barged into Jonny Evans early in the first half before losing his head and kicking the ball away in reaction to the referee calling it a foul. He picked up an entirely avoidable yellow card for his entirely avoidable display of frustration.
Nunez was also the least threatening of the Liverpool attackers as the defensive duo of Raphael Varane and Evans dealt with him rather easily. Despite his stature, the 24-year-old failed to offer much aerial threat.
#1 Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai has arguably been one of the best signings of the season so far in the 2023-24 Premier League season. He has been consistent up until now and has impressed with his technical qualities as well as his work ethic.
However, on Sunday, he looked like a shadow of the player he is. The 23-year-old's concentration was off and he kept losing the ball or getting too much purchase behind his passes. His confidence dwindled with each error and the night just never got better for him.
Szoboszlai not being able to offer a creative spark forced the burden of producing a breakthrough on Liverpool's attackers. Eventually, they failed as a collective unit to break down a sturdy Manchester United defence.