Amad Diallo’s strike 10 minutes from time brought Manchester United’s three-match losing Premier League run to an end with a surprise point after a thrilling second half at leaders Liverpool.
Arriving 23 points behind the table-topping Reds, Ruben Amorim’s side impressed during a relatively uneventful first period before taking the lead when Lisandro Martinez fired in from Bruno Fernandes’ threaded ball.
Liverpool, who have lost once this season in all competitions, equalised within eight minutes through Cody Gakpo’s angled finish, and United’s miserable form looked set to continue in cruel fashion when Mohamed Salah converted a 70th-minute penalty as a consequence of Matthijs de Ligt’s handball.
Diallo swept in from Alejandro Garnacho’s delivery to restore parity for United, who should have scored again seconds from full time when Harry Maguire blasted a golden opportunity over the crossbar from Joshua Zirkzee’s pass.
Amad sweeps home from Garnacho’s low cross 😮
What a GAME this is at Anfield! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LWRlKvyAE5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025
In case United fans required any reasons to fear a trip to Anfield this season, their side arrived without a win there since 2016 and without a goal since a 3-1 defeat in 2018.
After a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle on Monday in which they had conceded both goals by the 20th minute, Amorim saw his players produce a far more respectable first-half display, with Rasmus Hojlund drawing a fine save from Alisson.
Lisandro Martínez unleashes a thunderbolt strike beyond Alisson! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/z3vmqkbIol
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025
Amorim’s decision to concentrate most of United’s attacks along their left seemed wise in the context of a shaky defensive display by Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Diallo should have profited when Diogo Dalot located him in front of goal with a cross from that side, only for the midfielder to bizarrely direct his header back outside the penalty area in the opposite direction from the target.
Cody Gakpo hits a sensational solo strike against Onana! 😨 pic.twitter.com/ggR8CJLNMk
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025
Visiting goalkeeper Andre Onana did well to turn Alexis Mac Allister’s early shot away, and United’s reward for their improvement was Martinez’s emphatic opener with their 45th attempt at Anfield since their previous goal there.
Amorim will regret United’s drop-off during the 19 minutes that followed their first goal, in which Liverpool had all five shots and seven of the nine touches inside the box between the teams.
The Egyptian king scores for Liverpool! 👑 pic.twitter.com/cYPl8H75PN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025
United’s distribution also seemed to go astray with an unlikely victory in sight, producing a dire accuracy of 51% during that period, compared to Liverpool’s 77%.
Salah’s 13th goal in his last 11 appearances in the fixture seemed set to send Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the table, but Diallo proved the hero again for his team, as he was when he scored their 90th-minute winner at Manchester City on December 15.
Even for a defender better known for his aerial prowess, Maguire should have slotted in to almost certainly seal three points, but the centre-back whacked the bobbling ball well over the crossbar to the relief of most of the stadium.
United rose to 13th, while Liverpool have a six-point advantage and game in hand over second-placed Arsenal, who drew 1-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
