Man United had struggled in more recent visits to Anfield, with their eight away league games without victory there being their longest run since 1979. Ruben Amorim would have been encouraged by his side’s start, however, in what was a fairly-even contest.
Liverpool, as expected, had the better chances, but the Red Devils saw a lot of the ball in the opening half hour, with half chances of their own.
One of those saw Diogo Dalot pick out Amad Diallo unmarked in the box, but the forward couldn’t steer his header goalwards.
Arne Slot’s men looked dangerous throughout the first half but were lacking the clinical finish when getting into the attacking positions. Luis Díaz blazed high and wide from inside the box, before Alexis Mac Allister saw an effort saved by André Onana.
Amorim’s men continued to grow into the contest and looked comfortable in periods.
The Portuguese coach would have been disappointed not to see his side go into the HT break with the lead after Rasmus Højlund raced through on goal but the Danish striker’s shot was smothered by Alisson.
United continued their positive performance after the break, in particular threatening down Liverpool’s right flank.
And the visitors were celebrating on 52 minutes after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass was intercepted by Lisandro Martinez, and the Argentine combined with Bruno Fernandes before lashing the ball into the top corner from a tight angle - marking Man United’s first goal at Anfield in six years.
The visitors’ lead didn’t last long however, as Cody Gakpo was picked out by Mac Allister, and the Dutchman cut inside Matthijs de Ligt before firing into the far corner.
All of United’s hard work was undone after the hour mark as De Ligt was penalised for handling in the box, which allowed Mohamed Salah to fire in the resulting spot kick, despite Onana getting a hand to it.
Amorim introduced Alejandro Garnacho after falling behind, and the Argentine made an impact within minutes after he flew down the left flank and drove a ball into the box, where Diallo swept the ball home.
Both sides went in search of a winner, as the game turned into a chaotic end-to-end affair with chances falling either way.
Both goalkeepers were called into action but in the end, neither team was able to find the elusive third goal resulting in a second consecutive draw at Anfield in the league.
It was a disappointing result for the Reds after their initial fightback, but their lead over Arsenal remains as it was going into 2025.
On a more localised level, Liverpool can also take pride in the fact that they have only now suffered just one defeat against the Red Devils in 14 league meetings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United)
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