X reacts as Liverpool and Man Utd share spoils in Anfield thriller

Liverpool versus Manchester United is always a game that sets the pulses racing.

For supporters of the two clubs, it’s arguably the biggest fixture of their respective calendars – yes, bigger than the Merseyside and Manchester derby in a footballing sense – and for the neutral it’s a game that always draws you to the edge of your seat.

The first 2025 installment certainly lived up to the billing, right from the minute the heavens decided to bump a mountainous amount of snow down in the north west. There was travel chaos galore and some doubt over whether the game would actually go ahead – luckily for all those watching in person, at home and around the world, it did.

Here’s how an eventful 90 minutes and some played out in the world of social media…

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Liverpool’s wonderful start to the season owes plenty to the performances of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Virgil va… okay, basically everybody who has pulled on the club’s famous red.

One player the club have really missed in recent weeks, despite maintaining their strong on-field showings, is central defender Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman has developed a really strong, effective partnership with Virgil van Dijk, with many seeing him as the catalyst for all the great things that happen further up the field.

So there was no surprise that when news broke that he’d be starting, Konate’s name was the toast of X.

Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister have been consistently brilliant for Liverpool, really flourishing under Arne Slot’s management, but it’s Ryan Gravenberch who perhaps been the best of the midfield bunch.

The Dutchman was a peripheral figure under Jurgen Klopp, leading many to speculate that his Liverpool career would go nowhere, but his outstanding composure on the ball has dazzled throughout 2024/25.

Against United, Gravenberch continued on his merry way, putting in another terrific performance against the duo of Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte – who themselves were far better than they have been at any other point this season.

The first 45 minutes saw Ruben Amorim’s United put in a brilliant shift – stifling Liverpool’s attacking play while creating problems of their own.

The Reds did have chances, yes, with Gakpo clipping just wide after being played in behind, but United were more than holding their own in possession and looked very capable of taking advantage of a bad day at the defensive office for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Much of their threat came down the left and they should have taken a first-half lead through Rasmus Hojlund, but the Dane’s rather feeble effort was comfortably parried away by Alisson.

Seven minutes into the second half, an unlikely hero showed Hojlund how it should be done…

Slot’s Liverpool haven’t had it all their own way this season, occasionally finding it difficult to break sides down. But with the amount of quality they possess, it’s never a surprise when they find a route back thanks to individual quality.

Mac Allister’s brilliantly weightly pass found Gakpo, and the Dutchman showed his class once more to fire a superb effort beyond Andre Onana.

Wherever Matthijs de Ligt goes, handballs tend to follow him.

Unfortunately, this proved to be the case again as a stray arm allowed Mohamed Salah the opportunity to strike from the penalty spot…

Would Salah keep his cool and maintain his brilliant goalscoring record against Manchester United?

You probably know the answer to that question…

While Salah is inevitable for Liverpool, United fans are starting to feel the same way about Amad Diallo in big matches.

The Ivorian famously scored the winner when United beat Liverpool 4-3 in last season’s FA Cup, and his last-gasp winner helped the Red Devils secure a famous comeback win over Manchester City just a few weeks ago.

So when a chance came Amad’s way after Alejandro Garnacho exploited more space down the left, there was only ever going to be one outcome…

The stats will tell you that the game was pretty even – Liverpool shading the game with 19 shots to 13, six on target compared to United’s four.

The PREMIER League leaders’ xG was also far more superior to United’s, but it could have been Amorim’s side who walked away with all three points had Harry Maguire not fired home from 12 yards out with seconds left on the box.

Substitute Joshua Zirkzee looked to be just about onside as he ghosted in behind Andy Robertson, but his cutback for Maguire wasn’t the greatest as it bobbled towards the England defender. As a result, he couldn’t control his effort, firing high over the bar as users of X clenched their collective cheeks.

A cracking game and one that Amorim will take an awful lot away from.

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