“Played with his heart and not his head” - Garth Crooks rates performance of Manchester United star in Liverpool draw
Former Stoke City forward and BBC football pundit Garth Crooks reckons Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot 'played with his heart' in the goalless Premier League draw at Liverpool on Sunday (December 17).
The Red Devils had lost their last two games across competitions - including a 3-0 home loss in the league the previous weekend to Bournemouth - but produced a stellar display at Anfield.
Having lost 7-0 in their last league visit to the home of their arch-rivals in May this year, Erik ten Hag's side put on a resolute defensive display, thwarting their hosts. Dalot saw a contentious red deep in stoppage time when the player remonstrated with the referee for not getting a throw-in.
However, it mattered not, as United hung on with 10 men for their first league draw of the season. Crooks reckons Reds manager Jurgen Klopp won't be the happier of the two managers, writing in his Team of the Week column in BBC:
"Jurgen Klopp might not have been delighted with a 0-0 scoreline but I can assure him that Manchester United would have been delighted with a point at Anfield."
The former player added about Dalot:
"The man who I thought played with his heart and not his head was Diogo Dalot. The Portugal international had a fine game and was naturally frustrated when the referee didn't give him the throw-in when the United defender was convinced he deserved it.
Crooks bemoaned the current trend of officials justifying their 'over-officiousness', adding:
"Why Michael Oliver took the player's reaction so personally by sending him off, when a final warning was more than enough, said more about the referee than it did the player. What happened to referees that would speak to players and occasionally put them on notice instead of always trying to find the law in the game that justifies their over-officiousness?"
The draw takes United (28) to seventh in the standings after 17 games while Liverpool (38) failed to usurp leaders Arsenal (39) at the summit.
"We have to try to win the game" - Manchester United goalkeeper not happy with Liverpool draw
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana put out one of his best performances in a Red Devils jersey but was not overly satisfied with the draw at Liverpool at the weekend.
The Cameroon international produced eight saves, including an impressive one off Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, to register a joint league-leading sixth clean sheet of the season.
However, Onana said that a top side like United cannot be satisfied by not taking all three points, regardless of the opponent, telling MUTV (as per United's website):
“We are Manchester United, we are one of the biggest clubs in the world and, against every opponent we play, we want to win.
"We have to try to win the game. Unfortunately we didn't. We have to put the standard higher. Doesn't matter who we play, we have to go to win.”
Manchester United next take on West Ham United (away) in the league on Saturday (December 23).