Sunday, December 16, 2018

Liverpool 3 Manchester United 1: Shaqiri's late show bails out Alisson as Reds return to the top

Liverpool remain in charge at the top of the Premier League, as they beat bitter rivals Manchester United 3-1 at Anfield on Sunday.
Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice to bail out Alisson following a first-half howler to secure Liverpool a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, lifting the Reds back to the Premier League summit.
United looked to be on course for a commendable point after Alisson gifted Jesse Lingard a first-half equaliser, but substitute Shaqiri struck twice in the final 17 minutes to halt Liverpool's eight-match winless run against their great rivals in the league.
Liverpool deservedly went ahead through Sadio Mane's well-worked opener, but it did not last long despite their domination, as Lingard converted to punish Alisson's error just after the half-hour mark.
What does it mean? Time is running out for Mourinho or Pogba

Paul Pogba was left out of the starting XI for a third successive Premier League game, and although widely regarded as United's most talented outfield player, he still was not called for even with Liverpool heading to victory. His relationship with Mourinho looks beyond repair – surely at least one of them will be gone by the end of the season?
Shaqiri steps up

Switzerland international Shaqiri has been impressive since joining Liverpool, despite having to be content with a back-up role. He was that again on Sunday, but he played the part perfectly and showed just how valuable he is, coming off the bench to devastating effect.
Lukaku a road to nowhere

The woes of Lukaku in recent weeks have been well-documented, but aside from his role in the goal – which only came about because of Alisson's error – he was absolutely dominated by Virgil van Dijk, who looked at ease throughout.


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