KLOPP HAILS LIVERPOOL’S DOMINANT DISPLAY AGAINST MAN UNITED

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has lauded his team’s “more dominant” performance in Sunday’s goalless draw against Manchester United, surpassing even their remarkable 7-0 victory last season. Klopp’s assessment, supported by statistics, highlights Liverpool’s commanding presence on the field at Anfield.

In terms of possession and shots attempted, Liverpool outshone their previous encounter with Manchester United. On Sunday, the Reds boasted an impressive 69% possession and attempted a staggering 34 shots, although they were unable to find the elusive breakthrough.

Comparatively, in the March fixture last season, Liverpool held 60% of the ball and converted seven of their 16 attempts into a convincing victory. Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United, grappling with numerous injuries, opted for a defensive strategy, setting up a compact shape and challenging Liverpool to breach their resolute defense.

In stark contrast to the previous encounter, where Manchester United attempted to go toe to toe with Liverpool and suffered a ruthless punishment, this time, the visitors adopted a more cautious approach due to an injury-depleted squad. The absence of key players, including center-back Harry Maguire, forced a defensive posture, challenging Liverpool to break down their deep-lying defense. Despite the goalless result, Klopp sees the performance as a testament to Liverpool’s dominance on the field.

“I saw a lot of good things, the one thing I don’t like is the result. We should have scored, we had the opportunities and should have had more clear-cut chances,” Klopp told Sky Sports afterward.

“I can’t remember such a dominant performance against Man United – even the 7-0 they were more in the game.

“If we play like this it is difficult for the opposite team to get out of their own half. The way United defended was clean with a lot of passion.

“If you score, it changes the dynamic of the game and they open up a bit and take more risk. But nothing changed, they threw everything in and in the end it’s a 0-0.”