Last night saw Liverpool crash out of the FA Cup fourth round after defeat to Manchester United, with our bitter rivals running out 3-2 victors despite the Reds taking the initial lead.
It started off well for Jurgen Klopp’s side with a strong starting XI that included Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah but no Sadio Mané, with Curtis Jones taking his place at left wing which at first seemed to be a good move.
The youngster was pretty impressive at times and showed real confidence and ability despite being just 19-years-old but it was the Egyptian king that kicked off the scoring with his opening goal in the 18th minute after a lovely through ball from Firmino, who actually looked back to some of his best football despite the loss.
Salah managed to dink his finish over Dean Henderson to give Liverpool the lead and it seemed as though the Reds had started the game as perfect as possible and were actually scoring goals again after their four-match drought in the Premier League.
It didn’t take long for United to get a foothold back in the game after a great ball across the top of the defence from Marcus Rashford which fell perfectly to Mason Greenwood, with the youngster smashing home to take the game into halftime at 1-1.
Who was your MOTM vs Manchester United?
Mo Salah
Roberto Firmino
Thiago
Curtis Jones
The start of the second half wasn’t much better, with United then taking the lead through Rashford with the Reds looking deflated – it was strange throughout the game, as Klopp’s side would look great in periods and really dominate possession, then suddenly they digressed and allowed United too much time on the ball and failed to really capitalise on their initial lead or when they managed to equalise through Salah again.
Of course, though, a Bruno Fernandes free-kick won United the game after the Portuguese midfielder came on with just 24 minutes to go which managed to be enough to seal the win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, with the Reds failing to make their way back in the side and the evident lack of experience from youngster Rhys Williams who really shouldn’t have started a game of the magnitude.
Williams is only 19 and instantly gained a lot of fo stick on for his mistakes during the game – admittedly he did go to ground quickly throughout and made an error which led to Rashford’s goal with him miskicking his clearance from a simple through ball from Greenwood which he really should have dealt with easily – but like I said, he is 19 and lacks a lot of experience so it wasn’t fair for him to start the game in my opinion.
The loss adds another toll on Liverpool’s season with them now facing a difficult test in the league with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
What do you think Liverpool fans, were you frustrated with the result? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below…