Manchester United vs Liverpool: Five talking points from the 1-1 draw

Manchester United played hosts to league leaders Liverpool in an entertaining clash on matchday 9 of the English Premier League. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford as Marcus Rashford put the hosts in front. There were a lot of talking points, as Liverpool laboured to a draw, thanks to substitute Adam Lallana's late equaliser. Here are five talking points from the game. 

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Manchester United vs Liverpool: The VAR conundrum 

The Video Assistant Referee or VAR, as it is more commonly known, was introduced into the game as a means of reviewing the decisions made by the head referee via means of video footage. However, VAR has come across a fair amount of scrutiny in its debut season in the Engish Premier League. VAR adjudged that there was no foul in the build-up to United's first goal, even though Victor Lindelof seemed to have caught Divock Origi on the shin. VAR then went on to rule out Sadio Mane's equaliser, as the ball had hit the Senegalese on the arm. 

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Manchester United vs Liverpool: Solskjaer's tactics 

Not only was David de Gea back for the Red Devils, but Solskjer sprung another surprise as he opted to field a 3-5-2 formation for the game. His tactics paid off, as Liverpool's fullbacks were afforded little space to bomb up and down the flanks. Marcos Rojo was caught napping as Andrew Robertson whipped in a cross for Adam Lallana's equaliser. But apart from a minor blip in concentration in the dying minutes, Solskjaer's tactics worked well for the hosts. 

Manchester United vs Liverpool: Martin Atkinson - Liverpool's unlucky charm

Liverpool have dropped points in just nine of their last 47 games. Martin Atkinson has officiated nine of those games, with Liverpool dropping points in four of the games in which Atkinson has officiated the game. Atkinson waved off Liverpool's appeals for a foul on Divock Origi, as they claimed that Rashford's opener should not have stood since there was a foul in the build-up. It's safe to say that Jurgen Klopp isn't a big fan of the referee, as he claimed that even though everything went against Liverpool's way in the game, they still managed a draw. 

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Manchester United vs Liverpool: Liverpool overrun in midfield

Liverpool started with a midfield of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum. Of the three, Henderson and Wijnaldum played a total of 180 minutes in the international break. It was, therefore, a case of tired legs, as the game passed Henderson and Wijnaldum by in the first half. Wijnaldum did test David de Gea with a long-range effort. Henderson, however, was lacklustre in his performance. He was then replaced by Adam Lallana, who went on to score Liverpool's equaliser. 

Manchester United vs Liverpool: Liverpool's Plan B

It was no coincidence that the tempo of Liverpool's gameplay picked up as soon as Naby Keita came on for Wijnaldum. Keita was afforded more time on the ball, and a delay in his passes meant that Liverpool were a little unpredictable in the game during the dying minutes. Incidentally, it was Keita who made space for Robertson to whip in a cross for Lallana's equaliser. Keita's return from injury means that Klopp will have more options at his disposal as the December fixture congestion draws nearer. 

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