AS Manchester United scrapped and fought and departed with everything for which they had aspired, it would have dawned on Jurgen Klopp that sometimes no pleasure can be derived from being right.
He had railed against the notion Jose Mourinho was the managerial equivalent of a busted flush and, if anyone thought he was merely serving up some frothy platitudes, here was the accompanying proof.
Liverpool failed to trouble the scorers for the first time since August and that they were kept at arm’s length owed much to the visitor’s discipline, strength, organisation and resilience as well as the agility of David de Gea.
At the final whistle, Mourinho walked over to Klopp, shook hands and disappeared down the tunnel content no doubt that in claiming a point he had made one, too.
He will care not a jot that United’s share of possession – just 35pc – was the lowest they have enjoyed in the Premier League since OPTA records began and regard this as a step forward in their season even if the guile and craft of Juan Mata was overlooked in doing so.
This was not quite Mourinho spoiling the party as he had when his Chelsea side fatally spiked Liverpool’s title charge at Anfield two years to prompt his “clowns at the circus” quote afterwards.
Indeed, Liverpool suffered no more than seeing their momentum checked here and will come to realise that an uneventful stalemate does them no real harm. It brought a first clean sheet since May.
When Philippe Coutinho, released from a midfield role to forage further forward, dropped his shoulder and cut inside in the 71st minute, the ensuing shot looked set to end in the back of the net like so many others he has unleashed in previous games.
Yet Anfield had not reckoned on De Gea snaking out his right hand to repel the danger and preserve parity.
In truth, both Coutinho’s intent and the United goalkeeper’s heroics, were out of keeping with an affair that continually simmered without ever coming to the boil.
Marouane Felliani and Ander Herrera scampered across the ground like wide-jawed Alsatians, if one missed a tackle the other would eagerly compensate, and ahead of them Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba set the tone from the front.
The duo constantly frustrated Liverpool’s attempts to play out from the back, forcing them to regularly go long where the excellent Eric Bailly or Chris Smalling usually prevailed ahead of Daniel Sturridge.
Klopp had spent much of the first half with his arms folded across his chest as he stood in his technical area, but the fact he sprinted to the dressing room at the interval spoke volumes and betrayed the truth behind his composed facade.
Liverpool’s efforts in recreating the slick, va-va-voom attacks which had previously been their forte this season too often petered out into nothing as they lacked the patience to play their natural game and, as a result, penetration.
Sadio Mane found himself peripheral, when usually he is central, with Ashley Young a second left back more often than not alongside Daley Blind and the players who have made the difference this term could not stand out.
All round there was too much spit and not enough polish, although it would have been less of a worry for Mourinho who in omitting Jesse Lingard as well as Mata and Wayne Rooney cannot have expected too much attacking zeal.
Ibrahimovic headed one Pogba centre across goal, but otherwise they offered nothing and any concerns for Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius were usually created by himself.
It took the best part of an hour for Klopp to see his side muster some menace after Joel Matip sought to bulldoze his way through a blue United wall.
The ball broke to Emre Can and, in the melee which erupted, he dug out a shot which De Gea saved one handed, low down.
The introduction of Adam Lallana, who had not been risked from the outset due to legacy of a groin problem, pushed Coutinho into a more natural, advanced role and suddenly everything they attempted was quicker.
De Gea kept him out and Antonio Valencia then produced an excellent, last ditch tackle to deny Roberto Firmino to keep Mourinho’s plan intact.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Karius 6; Clyne 6, Matip 6, Lovren 6, Milner 6 (Moreno 86); Henderson 6, Can 6, Coutinho 7; Mane 6, Sturridge 6 (Lallana 59 6), Firmino 6 (Origi 85).
Manchester United (4-4-1-1): De Gea 6; Valencia 6, Bailly 7, Smalling 6. Blind 6; Rashford 6 (Rooney 77), Herrera 7, Fellaini 6, Young 6 (Shaw 90); Pogba 6; Ibrahimovic 6.
Booked: Bailly, Young, Ibrahimovic, Fellaini
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Liverpool failed to trouble the scorers for the first time since August and that they were kept at arm’s length owed much to the visitor’s discipline, strength, organisation and resilience as well as the agility of David de Gea.
At the final whistle, Mourinho walked over to Klopp, shook hands and disappeared down the tunnel content no doubt that in claiming a point he had made one, too.
He will care not a jot that United’s share of possession – just 35pc – was the lowest they have enjoyed in the Premier League since OPTA records began and regard this as a step forward in their season even if the guile and craft of Juan Mata was overlooked in doing so.
This was not quite Mourinho spoiling the party as he had when his Chelsea side fatally spiked Liverpool’s title charge at Anfield two years to prompt his “clowns at the circus” quote afterwards.
Indeed, Liverpool suffered no more than seeing their momentum checked here and will come to realise that an uneventful stalemate does them no real harm. It brought a first clean sheet since May.
When Philippe Coutinho, released from a midfield role to forage further forward, dropped his shoulder and cut inside in the 71st minute, the ensuing shot looked set to end in the back of the net like so many others he has unleashed in previous games.
Yet Anfield had not reckoned on De Gea snaking out his right hand to repel the danger and preserve parity.
In truth, both Coutinho’s intent and the United goalkeeper’s heroics, were out of keeping with an affair that continually simmered without ever coming to the boil.
Marouane Felliani and Ander Herrera scampered across the ground like wide-jawed Alsatians, if one missed a tackle the other would eagerly compensate, and ahead of them Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba set the tone from the front.
The duo constantly frustrated Liverpool’s attempts to play out from the back, forcing them to regularly go long where the excellent Eric Bailly or Chris Smalling usually prevailed ahead of Daniel Sturridge.
Klopp had spent much of the first half with his arms folded across his chest as he stood in his technical area, but the fact he sprinted to the dressing room at the interval spoke volumes and betrayed the truth behind his composed facade.
Liverpool’s efforts in recreating the slick, va-va-voom attacks which had previously been their forte this season too often petered out into nothing as they lacked the patience to play their natural game and, as a result, penetration.
Sadio Mane found himself peripheral, when usually he is central, with Ashley Young a second left back more often than not alongside Daley Blind and the players who have made the difference this term could not stand out.
All round there was too much spit and not enough polish, although it would have been less of a worry for Mourinho who in omitting Jesse Lingard as well as Mata and Wayne Rooney cannot have expected too much attacking zeal.
It took the best part of an hour for Klopp to see his side muster some menace after Joel Matip sought to bulldoze his way through a blue United wall.
The ball broke to Emre Can and, in the melee which erupted, he dug out a shot which De Gea saved one handed, low down.
The introduction of Adam Lallana, who had not been risked from the outset due to legacy of a groin problem, pushed Coutinho into a more natural, advanced role and suddenly everything they attempted was quicker.
De Gea kept him out and Antonio Valencia then produced an excellent, last ditch tackle to deny Roberto Firmino to keep Mourinho’s plan intact.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Karius 6; Clyne 6, Matip 6, Lovren 6, Milner 6 (Moreno 86); Henderson 6, Can 6, Coutinho 7; Mane 6, Sturridge 6 (Lallana 59 6), Firmino 6 (Origi 85).
Manchester United (4-4-1-1): De Gea 6; Valencia 6, Bailly 7, Smalling 6. Blind 6; Rashford 6 (Rooney 77), Herrera 7, Fellaini 6, Young 6 (Shaw 90); Pogba 6; Ibrahimovic 6.
Booked: Bailly, Young, Ibrahimovic, Fellaini
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
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