Manchester United held Liverpool to a nil all draw at Anfield on Monday night to record their first clean sheet in five matches.
Liverpool dominated large parts of the match but were unable to unlock a Man United side that were setup to preserve a clean sheet. Even so, De Gea was still called upon to produce two outstanding saves to keep the scores level.
With Ashley Young starting his first game for United since January against the same opposition, United at times played with a back six. Young and Rashford operated as wingbacks while Blind and Valencia came centrally to support Smalling and Bailly. With two full backs to contend with, the Liverpool wingers kept moving the ball centrally, forcing most of their play through the middle. There they came up against the exceptional Ander Herrera. Doing his best Claude Makélélé impression, Herrera gave a sterling display in the number 6 role to nullify Liverpool's potent attack.
Pogba and Fellaini completed the midfield three with Rooney again relegated to the bench. Producing such a disciplined performance proved that United, as they had against Leicester, can cope with the loss of their captain. Leaving Rooney out against teams like Leicester and Malta could be considered resting the player, but neglecting to include him in this game was a big statement. Having scored the winner in the last fixture between these two sides, the Manchester United and England captain has been reduced to an impact role, helping to close out a game rather than snatch a victory.
Unlike United's recent matches, this was a classic Mourinho-esque defensive performance, more akin to his Chelsea sides that won the Premier League. In contrast, this was far from a typical showing from Klopp's Liverpool. After wiping the floor with Hull and a solid display against Chelsea, Liverpool seemed devoid of creativity and lacked ideas to unlock the United defence. This was akin to their game against Swansea, where a late penalty ensured they ground out a result against the well-drilled Welsh team. They missed the guile of Georginio Wijnaldum and the work rate of Adam Lallana, so often their saviour in recent games. Too often, Sadio Mané found himself collecting the ball in central positions as Liverpool's full backs overlapped their wingers. This played into United's 6 man back line and, bar a few scares, prevented Liverpool from getting close enough to truly threaten.
Considering their poor away form this year, Mourinho will undoubtly be the happier of the two managers. Klopp on the other hand, will be hoping to bounce back quickly and ensure this result doesn't derail a promising start to Liverpool's season.
