Gary Neville likened Lisandro Martinez’s goal for Manchester United at Anfield to a Ryan Giggs classic – only for the visitors to squander their surprise lead.
Seven minutes after the restart, an attack through the left channel allowed centre-back Martinez to crash in the opening goal from Bruno Fernandes’ pass and end United’s six-year wait for a goal away to the Reds.
“They’ve played so well,” former United captain Neville told Sky Sports. “Honestly, this is a miracle from where this team has been in the last few weeks – they’ve been a disaster, but today they’ve been delightful.
“He just smashes it into the roof of the net. It’s almost Ryan Giggs-like, from the ’99 [FA Cup] semi-final against Arsenal. This Manchester United team – you may say one of the worst – has put in one of the best performances we’ve seen after 55 minutes.”
Lisandro Martínez unleashes a thunderbolt strike beyond Alisson! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/z3vmqkbIol
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025
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Ryan Giggs goal revisited?
United legend Giggs scored his iconic solo goal in added time to beat Arsenal in a replay at Villa Park almost 26 years ago, knocking the holders out before the Red Devils won the final against Newcastle.
There was less for former right-back Neville to enjoy during the 19 minutes that followed for the side who started the day 14th in the Premier League.
Cody Gakpo angled in an equaliser less than eight minutes after Martinez scored, and Mohamed Salah’s 70th-minute penalty then turned the scoreline around.
In the 20 minutes after United’s goal, Liverpool had all five attempts and seven of the nine touches in the opposition box between the teams.
It’s exactly one week until our latest @EmiratesFACup semi-final, so let’s look back at a previous one…#OnThisDay in 1999, Ryan Giggs intercepted a pass in midfield and did this against Arsenal 👇 pic.twitter.com/LfWDgnhu6g
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 14, 2018
Liverpool vs Man United: Visitors reply
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%.
They hit back, though, when Amad Diallo – who had earlier produced a bizarre miss from Diogo Dalot’s cross – rolled in a low finish.
Ruben Amorim’s troubled side entered the game on a run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions, include three straight league losses without scoring.
Victory for Liverpool would send them eight points clear of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand on the Gunners.
