Liverpool were displaced at the top of the Premier League by Arsenal after a goalless draw with Manchester United at Anfield. We look back at the match with our Liverpool vs Manchester United stats page.
Liverpool Finally Stopped at Anfield by Resolute United
Liverpool were denied the chance to go back to the top of the Premier League after being held to a 0-0 draw at Anfield by Manchester United on Sunday.
A listless game in front of the biggest crowd at Anfield in over 50 years never came close to replicating Liverpool’s 7-0 hammering of their great rivals last season, with the visitors able to blunt their hosts throughout and become the first team to stop Liverpool from winning at home this season.
Jürgen Klopp’s side had won their previous 11 home games in all competitions in 2023-24, and were looking to return to the top of the table after Arsenal and Aston Villa both picked up wins earlier on Sunday, but despite having 34 shots, were unable to find a way past André Onana in the United goal.
Erik ten Hag’s men needed a response after a week that had seen them lose 3-0 at home to Bournemouth and crash out of the UEFA Champions League, and they put up a resolute showing to keep Liverpool at bay, though they did have Diogo Dalot sent off in the closing seconds.
It was a bright start from Liverpool in front of around 57,000 fans at Anfield – with the renovated Anfield Road End allowing more people in for the first time.
Darwin Núñez struggled to get into the game early on though, having just two touches in the opening 17 minutes, before the Uruguayan showed his frustration, picking up a yellow card for a barge on Jonny Evans before he kicked the ball away.
Virgil van Dijk tested Onana as he won a header from a corner, but the United goalkeeper tipped it over the bar in what was Liverpool’s best chance of the first half.
The hosts had 15 shots as well as nine corner kicks in the opening 45 minutes, their most corners in the first half of a Premier League game at Anfield since December 2011 vs QPR (10). It counted for little though as they rarely looked like breaking the deadlock, summed up by centre-back Ibrahima Konaté being the player to have the joint-most attempts at goal in the first half (three) along with Mohamed Salah.
The second half started much the same, with Klopp turning to his substitutes on the hour, bringing Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez on for Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, with the latter appearing to sustain an injury.
United managed two shots inside the first nine minutes of the game, but their third didn’t arrive until the 67th minute, with the Red Devils going past eight hours at Anfield since their previous goal there – scored by Jesse Lingard back in December 2018. Rasmus Højlund was played in nicely by captain for the day, Scott McTominay, but the Dane fired his effort straight at Alisson.
Liverpool continued to push, eventually racking up more shots without scoring (34) than they have had in any other Premier League game on record (since 2003-04), with their previous highest 30 vs West Brom in 2012 and vs Stoke in 2008. It was also the fifth most by any team in the Premier League, with the most being Chelsea against West Ham in January 2014 (39).
Dalot was dismissed by referee Michael Oliver for two consecutive acts of dissent in stoppage time, but there wasn’t enough time for Liverpool to take advantage, meaning Arsenal top the Premier League once more after Matchday 17.
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United Timeline
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United Post-Match Facts
- Four of the last eight Premier League games between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield have ended goalless, after only one of the first 24 in this exact fixture in the competition had done so beforehand.
- Liverpool attempted 34 shots in this goalless draw – their most in a Premier League game on record in which they failed to score (since 2003-04). Overall, it was the most shots by a team without scoring in a match in the competition since Man Utd’s 38 v Burnley in October 2016.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League home games against United (W4 D4), keeping a clean sheet in each of the last five. This is their longest run without a league defeat against them at Anfield since between 1970 and 1979 (9).
- Manchester United have scored just 18 goals in 17 Premier League games this season, while failing to score in three of their last four. This is their joint-fewest goals scored at this stage of a single campaign in the Premier League, along with 18 in 1992-93.
- This was the first Premier League game at Anfield in which Mohamed Salah neither scored or assisted since January 21st (vs Chelsea), having had a direct hand in at least one goal in each of his previous 16 home games in the competition. Salah had four shots on target in today’s game, his joint-most in a Premier League match without scoring.
- Diogo Dalot’s sending off for Man Utd was the 18th red card shown in Premier League fixtures between these two teams, with only the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton (23) seeing more in the competition.
- Goalkeeper André Onana completed the most passes of any Manchester United player in this game (30), while his eight saves were the most by a Man Utd goalkeeper in a Premier League match against Liverpool since David de Gea in December 2014 (8).
- Kobbie Mainoo became the youngest United player to start against Liverpool in a Premier League game (18 years, 242 days). Along with Alejandro Garnacho, it was also just the second time the Red Devils had started two teenagers in a match against Liverpool in the competition (after Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2005).
Liverpool vs Manchester United Stats Centre
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Liverpool vs Manchester United stats from Sunday’s Premier League game at Anfield.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own analysis of the game from kick-off and beyond.
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