One of the top players on the field and one of the best young players in the nation, Jarell Quansah, put his head in his hands and pulled his shirt as high over his face as he could when the final whistle blew.
The captain of Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, saw his attitude and offered him a reassuring slap on the back. Likewise, Virgil van Dijk acted. Quansah believed it was his responsibility that Liverpool had blinked first in the fight for the title. That is the nasty side of football sometimes.
It’s true that Liverpool was leading when Quansah erred four minutes into the second half, and if anyone is to take blame for their failure to win at Old Trafford, then just as much blame should be placed on those who failed to capitalize on a number of opportunities against Manchester United as on Quansah.
But his mistake was notable, partly because of how brilliantly Fernandes took advantage of it and partly because it carried some echoes of The Slip, the startling moment when a mistake by Steven Gerrard led to a Chelsea goal at Anfield that was a seminal moment in Liverpool’s doomed title challenge in 2014.
Liverpool were 1-0 up when Quansah got the ball inside his own half and played a pass towards Van Dijk. Except he had not seen Fernandes lurking. Fernandes read the pass and ran on to it and, in a flash, he had spotted Caomhin Kelleher off his line and chipped the ball over him from more than 40 yards out.
Liverpool blinked first in the title race, and Jarell Quansah felt it was his fault at full time
Bruno Fernandes had pounced on Quansah’s loose ball to score from the centre circle
Mohamed Salah scored an 84th-minute penalty to save a point after Man United’s turnaroundThe game was altered by the goal. After a stunning second goal by Kobbie Mainoo, it gave United some relief from a game in which they were outmatched and got them within nine minutes of stopping time to secure a historic victory.
But there is a twist here, too. Quansah did not fold. He did not crumble. He did not disappear or seek anonymity. He played with the kind of courage and indomitability that marks him out as one of the brightest prospects in the country. And he helped Liverpool rescue at least a point.
When the game seemed to have slipped away and all the points seemed to have been lost, it was Quansah who broke up a United counter-attack and evaded a couple of challenges before Harvey Elliott danced into the box and won the penalty that Mo Salah converted to bring the scores level at 2-2. This was not The Slip. This was what would have happened had Gerrard had a chance to redeem himself that afternoon at Anfield.
There is still too much to play for in the last seven games to say that this loss of two points against an ordinary United side will decide anything. But as Manchester City and Arsenal keep winning relentlessly, it was a setback. Liverpool are second to Arsenal on goal difference now but they are nothing if not resilient. They will come again.
When the game began, most people assumed United had a puncher’s chance at best. And most people assumed that that puncher would probably be Marcus Rashford. ‘United don’t have world-class players throughout their squad,’ Gary Neville said. ‘But what they have in Marcus Rashford is someone who can deliver world-class moments.’
United started well. Alejandro Garnacho, who is in such a rich vein of form, thought he had scored when he burst on to a through ball and rounded Kelleher before slotting the ball home but the linesman raised his flag when the ball hit the net and replays confirmed Garnacho had strayed offside.
It did not take Liverpool long to hit their stride though. Salah played a brilliant ball with the outside of his left foot that put Dominik Szoboszlai in on goal and it took a fine left-handed save from Andre Onana to keep his shot out.
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Alejandro Garnacho had scored early for Manchester United, but it was ruled out for offside
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Luis Diaz scored the opening goal with a volley after Dominik Szoboszlai’s swinging corner
The hosts were fortunate to not go further behind after being severely outplayed in the first half.
After Darwin Nunez had broken through Liverpool’s midfield line a few minutes earlier, Salah stole a yard from his marker on the right and begged Nunez to play him through as he advanced on United’s retreating defence. Disregarding him, Nunez slipped. Both a furious Salah on the flank and a furious Klopp on the sidelines ridiculed him in unison.
Midway through the United half, Salah started a brilliant play that saw Liverpool rip United open once more. Salah passed the ball to Alexis Mac Allister, who quickly passed it to Andy Robertson on the left. Szoboszlai was located five yards out by his cross. Szoboszlai had a chance to score, but he misaligned his body shape and misdirected his attempt.
It was only a practice. After four minutes, Liverpool had the upper hand. Luis Diaz met it on the volley after Robertson curled into a corner from the right and Nunez flicked it on. He pounded the ball into the earth, and as Diogo Dalot and Onana stood defenseless on the line, it fizzed between them.
United almost quickly missed an opportunity to equalize. Bruno Fernandes’ expertly placed free kick was raced upon by Casemiro, who headed it across goal. Both Rasmus Hojlund and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were unable to administer the slight touch that was required.
Salah curled a left-footed attempt that Onana stopped twice in short succession; Nunez twisted a shot that went just over the crossbar; and Salah leaned back and hoisted a cut-back from Szoboszlai high into the Stretford End. Klopp painted a picture of exasperation at Liverpool’s wastefulness from the sidelines.
Once more, United faced the threat of being overwhelmed and outmatched. Liverpool were better throughout the board. Their inability to be brutal was the only thing keeping them from being four or five goals ahead. United appeared disoriented.
It was only the second occasion in the previous 22 years that they had failed to score in the opening half of a Premier League game at Old Trafford when the halftime whistle rang. So maybe it was inevitable that they would have to settle for a special shot when they managed to muster one.
Only four minutes of the second half had elapsed when Quansah, who had been flawless until that point, played a short ball across field a few yards inside his own half in the direction of Van Dijk.
But Bruno Fernandes was unknown to Quansah. He was the one who received the ball, not Van Dijk. And Fernandes did not hesitate. He saw that Kelleher, not anticipating any danger, was on the edge of his area and he hit the ball first time. Kelleher desperately tried to regain his ground but Fernandes had judged his shot perfectly and the ball sailed over him and into the net.
Amid the United celebrations, there was some shock in the ground, too. The goal was played so much against the flow of the game. That was underlined a couple of minutes later when a Liverpool counter-attack ended with Nunez poking a shot wide when a pull-back would have left Szoboszlai with an open goal.
As United rallied, it felt as if Liverpool’s title hopes hung in the balance right here. Twice, Kelleher had to save from the type of awkward bouncing cross that can sometimes elude a goalkeeper who is expecting an attacker to get a touch. Old Trafford roared in the hope of an unlikely deliverance.
Midway through the half, deliverance grew closer. Garnacho played a ball out to Wan-Bissaka and when he threaded a pass into Mainoo just inside the Liverpool area with his back to goal, there appeared to be little danger.
But Mainoo turned beautifully on to what is supposed to be his weaker right foot and hit a brilliant curling shot towards the far corner. Kelleher dived full length but could not reach it and the ball bent inside the far post and into the net.
Kobbie Mainoo curled a special goal from the edge of the box to move Man United 2-1 in front
Erik ten Hag’s men were off the pace in the first half, but were a changed side after the break
After the games over the weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s team is trailing Arsenal in the Premier League standings.
Liverpool found it difficult to reorganize. It was United making the opportunities now. After starting a breakaway and setting up Garnacho for a score, Hojlund could only get a shot straight at Kelleher. Nevertheless, United started to smell a historic triumph.
Liverpool attacked at full speed. Only four yards out, Onana deflected a shot from Diaz into Salah’s path. Though the goal was at his mercy, he could only loft his shot high over the bar since the fall came to him on his right foot and at an angle.
But United gave up the lead nine minutes from the end. After his error, Quansah had been excellent. He stopped a United attack, moved the ball forward, and Elliott danced into the box before Wan-Bissaka took him down. Salah accepted the penalty and misdirected Onana.
Robertson nodded a ball into Diaz’s path, and deep into additional time, Liverpool came dangerously close to taking the crucial third goal they had been craving. Stretching to meet the half volley, Diaz slammed his shot just high enough.