When Manchester United took on Liverpool tonight, the only losers were the spectators and viewers. It was a dull and tedious 0-0 draw which really had just one true scoring opportunity. The Reds had just three shots on goal while the Red Devils had only one.
No doubt the highlight of the game was Philipe Coutinho’s scoring chance, and the “save of the year” award nominee play by David de Gea in response.
David De Gea's world class save to deny Coutinho ?? #MUFC https://t.co/zIdDIW7woi
— Manchester United (@ManUtds_News) October 17, 2016
Hopefully the edition of this rivalry at Old Trafford will be much better than the Anfield edition tonight.
Both teams got a single point, but you can come closer to calling this a win for United than you can for Liverpool. United at least took something away from a very tough road fixture. It’s a minimum expectation, but they got something, which is nice for the underdog.
They also denied their arch-rival an opportunity from tying Manchester City and Arsenal for the top of the table. United Manager Jose Mourinho is satisfied.
“The result I think is acceptable. We wanted more. For long periods in the game we thought that could be possible but we didn’t score and, if you don’t score, you don’t win. But I think it was very positive performance.
“We stopped them playing, but they also did very well from the defensive point of view.
“They played [Emre] Can and [Jordan] Henderson for some reason and they did that for 90 minutes, so they normally project more players in attack.
“They were very cautious. They kept always Can and Henderson in position. They had only one player behind the three more offensive players.
“I think it was their intention to try and control us, which they also did well.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.