Key events
90+3 min Nothing comes of it and Lammens is able to claim the ball before punting it aimlessly downfield. Back come Liverpool.
90+2 min Cunha heads behind for another Liverpool corner, their 422nd of the game. Szoboszlai’s corner is shanked by both Mbeumo and Dorgu, but there’s enough time for Dorgu to get the ball away.
For about 10 seconds, until Maguire heads behind for another cortner.
90+1 min There will be eight minutes of added time.
90 min Another superb cross from Frimpong is thighed behind by Dalot at the far post. Lammens comes for the corner and gets enough of it, with Cunha running the ball out of the area to safety.
88 min A dangerous free-kick from Mbeumo on the left is headed over by De Ligt. That looked a good chance as well, but there’s no time for a replay because Liverpool are back on the attack.
87 min: Glorious chance for Gakpo!
Frimpong’s first contribution should be an assist. He beats Dorgu on the right and stands up a superb cross to the far post, only for the unmarked Gakpo to flick a header wide from eight yards. What a chance.
85 min: Liverpool substitution Jeremie Frimpong replaces Mo Salah, who had his worst game against Man Utd in a long time , certainly since Ashley Young pocketed him in March 2018, possibly ever.
85 min: Double substitution from Man Utd Leny Yoro and Kobbie Mainoo replace Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes fired the corner into Mbeumo, whose shot from the edge of the area was blocked. The ball flew back towards to Fernandes, who sidefooted a brilliant volleyed cross towards the far post. Maguire pulled away from Konate, strained his neck muscles and planted an accomplished header back across Mamardashvili.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-2 Man Utd (Maguire 84)
Harry Maguire Esq. restores Man Utd’s lead!
83 min Sesko plays a neat pass through to Cunha, who is held up by Szoboszlai. His eventual shot deflects behind from a corner, from which…
82 min Liverpool are attacking with furious intent. There’s still a chance for United to win it, because Liverpool are so open, but at the moment it’s one-way traffic.
80 min If Van Dijk was at fault for Mbeumo’s goal, he made up for it with a superb challenge in the build up to the equaliser.
Incidentally, Jeremie Frimpong was about to replace Gakpo when he scored the equaliser. Frimpong is now sitting down.
Mbeumo was breaking from a Liverpool corner when Van Dijk wrapped his leg around to make an excellent challenge. Ekitike collected the loose ball and made straight for the United area. After a chaotic bit of play, playground stuff, Chiesa drove a low cross from the left side of the area that was turned into the empty net by Gakpo five yards out.
There was a check for offside but Gakpo was clearly onside.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Man Utd (Gakpo 78)
It’s been coming!
75 min Man Utd have been poor on the ball since Liverpool switched to 4-2-4 in the 62nd minute; at the moment an equaliser looks more likely than a second for United. Jones surges into the area and drives a speculative left-foot shot that is held to his left by Lammens. Comfortable save.
74 min Jones nicks the ball off Fernandes and pushes it into the area towards Chiesa. His touch is slightly heavy , it wasn’t an easy ball to take , and Shaw makes a crucial, if desperate challenge.
72 min: Liverpool substitution Federico Chiesa replaces Alexander Isak, who had a relatively quiet game. His one big chance was a low shot across goal that Lammens kicked away with his right foot; Isak may feel he should have scored. If the bugger ever answers my WhatsApps, I’ll let you know.
71 min A nervy moment for Lammens. Dalot heads a cross up in the air and back towards his own goal. Lammens almost runs past the ball and has to jump backwards to grab it. All’s well that ends well.
70 min You have to admire Arne Slot for taking this much risk so early in the game. Federico Chiesa is about to come on as well. “He might play centre-back…” chirps Jamie Carragher on commentary.
69 min Ekitike leads a Liverpool break, cutting inside from the left before rifling wide from the edge of the area. That wasn’t a bad chance either.
This game is so open; there’s no chance it will end 1-0.
68 min “I think Slot’s smart to take Alexis Mac Allister off,” writes Kári Tulinius. “He’s been poor this season and Liverpool play better when he’s off the field. He doesn’t get on the ball as much as he did last season, and when he does, it slows the team down. Last season he was crucial at controlling games once Liverpool had taken the lead, but now he seems indecisive.”
Before the game, Jamie Carragher said he hadn’t been the same since an injury in the second half of last season.
66 min Van Dijk volleys a United cross into the face of Kerkez and over the bar. That could have gone anywhere too.
65 min: Great chance for Salah!
Kerkez’s cross from the left evades everyone in the middle , and there were an army of Liverpool players in there , before reaching the unmarked Salah beyond the far post. He controls it deftly but then thrashes wide from six yards as Lammens flies towards him. Salah mishit that completely with his left foot; in his defence there might have been a slightly strange bounce. There’s no time to check because this is now a basketball game.
64 min Ekitike fires over from distance after a fine run infield from the left, the kind that gets a home crowd going.
63 min Dorgu plays a sharp square pass into the area for Fernandes, whose left-foot shot is well blocked by Konate. These are the revised line-ups.
Liverpool (4-2-4) Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Wirtz, Jones; Salah, Isak, Ekitike, Gakpo.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko.
62 min: Triple substitution for Liverpool Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Curtis Jones replace Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.
Liverpool are going for it , Szoboszlai has moved to right-back, Wirtz is playing in centre midfield.
61 min: Man Utd substitution Benjamin Sesko replaces Mason Mount, so Cunha will move to No10.
60 min Salah beats Dorgu to a loose ball just outside the area and pokes it to Mac Allister, who drives over the bar under pressure. Pretty good effort but never troubling Lammens.
60 min These are the revised line-ups.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Isak.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Mount; Cunha.
59 min: Man Utd substitutions In fact it’s a double change. Manuel Ugarte and Patrick Dorgu replace Casemiro and Amad Diallo, who was excellent on the ball but became vulnerable after that yellow card.
57 min Casemiro is booked for a brazen but necessary tactical foul on Salah. He’s struggling with cramp as well and is about to be replaced.
56 min I said Gakpo hit the post three times. That’s essentially true but strictly speaking I think the second time , the deflected cross – would have been a Bruno Fernandes goal had the ball gone in.
54 min Gakpo’s deep, inswinging corner from the left is volleyed into the ground and over the bar by Salah. He saw it late because Van Dijk was jumping in front of him; it was still a decent chance for a player of his etc.
52 min Dalot is booked for a foul on Gakpo. He took the ball with a sliding tackle but was punished for a studs-up follow-through. The Sky co-commentators Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both think he’s very unfortunate.
51 min Gravenberch needs treatment after twisting his ankle when fouled by Mbeumo. Gravenberch’s grimace suggests his afternoon could be over.
50 min: Gakpo hits the post for the third time!
This is getting silly. Salah’s long cross from the right reaches Gakpo on the far side of the area. He controls the ball on his thigh, moves onto his right foot , Shaw inexplicably showed him inside , and hits a sizzling rising drive back across goal. Lammens doesn’t move and the ball thumps off the right-hand post.
47 min “The dreamer in me knows how this game will end: two sublime pearlers from Florian Wirtz followed by a Rio Ngumoha volley off the crossbar and in. The realist in me knows a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 89th minute will make it 2-0 to the Ref Devils.”
It depends which band you’ve been listening to: Livin’ Joy or The Cribs?
46 min Liverpool get the second half under way.
No substitutions yet.
“Greetings from sunny and breezy California!” says Peter Oh. “My biggest concern is that this match, so far, has been a huge step backwards in terms of computing technology. Generative Al (Alexander Isak) hasn’t delivered on its promise, and Man United have got their tails up like it’s Y2K!”
Half-time reading
Man Utd through a startlingly early goal from Bryan Mbeumo. Both teams came close in a scruffy but compelling half. Cody Gakpo and Bruno Fernandes hit the post at either end, then combined in advertently to do so again when Gakpo’s cross deflected off Fernandes, over Senne Lammens and off the far post.
Lammens saved well from Alexander Isak; at the other Giorgi Mamardashvili made an old-school centre-half’s challenge to deny Mbeumo a second.
Half time: Liverpool 0-1 Man Utd
Peep peep!
45+2 min Mbeumo’s goal was timed at 62 seconds, which makes it the fastest in this fixture in the Premier League era.
The previous fastest was lost in the exploits of two fellas called Cantona and Fowler.
45+1 min Four minutes of added time.
45 min Bruno Fernandes curls a long pass towards Mbeumo, forcing Van Dijk to come across and clear. He shakes his head as he walks back to his position, presumably in disgust at how open Liverpool are defensively.
43 min Cunha curls well wide from distance , pretty similar, in fact, to the position from which he scored on this ground for Wolves last season.
40 min A free-kick from Fernandes, deep on the right, bounces up awkwardly and is sliced onto the roof of own net by Gakpo. He could have had a hat-trick!
The resulting corner is missed by Mamardashvili, who looks surprisingly uncomfortable, and headed clear by Konate on the line. I don’t know whether it was going in or not but Mamardashvili was certainly out of the game.
38 min “That penalty appeal for the Amad ‘handball’ would have stopped the game for at least five minutes up here,” writes Simon McMahon. “Then, depending on the eventual outcome, there would have been a week’s worth of media coverage about ‘agendas’ and how there’s a conspiracy against Celtic Rangers whoever.
“Honestly, all I want from football is to see Dundee United win the Scottish Cup again in my lifetime with my daughter, Evie. That seems realistic and not too much to ask, right? Though Dundee haven’t won the Scottish since 1910, so, you know. But they did beat Celtic today, leaving Hearts five points clear at the top. I really hope the Jam Tarts don’t have to go to Dens on the last day needing just a point…”
37 min This is a good spell for Liverpool, probably their best in terms of sustained pressure.
35 min: Chance for Isak! Konate shapes a fantastic long pass around Shaw and into the path of Isak, whose shot on the run is kicked away at the near post by Lammens. There’s an argument he should have come off his line to beat Isak to the ball, but having stayed at home he made a really good save and is being congratulated by his teammates.
34 min “Hey, guys,” writes Matt Dony, “have I ever told you how much I hate football? Like, really hate it! This is not fun. I’m watching the match while playing pool with my son, who is currently (and unprecedentedly) 3-0 up. This is looking like a bad day. I regret allowing a drunk AI to write an email on my behalf.”
32 min: Gakpo hits the post again!
This time it was a deflected cross from the left that looped over the helpless Lammens and hit the inside of the far post. Liverpool keep the ball alive undtil Salah’s header from Kerkez’s cross is saved comfortably by Lammens.
29 min Dalot’s poor clearance goes straight to Isak on the edge of the area; he controls it smartly only to mishit his shot well wide.
This is a flawed but fascinating game.
More chances for Man Utd
27 min Mount shoots over from close range after Mamardashvili pushes Cunha’s cross into a dangerous area; it was a tough chance because the ball bounced almost behind him.
Moments later, Mamardashvili is forced into a desperate lunging tackle on Mbeumo eight yards out when Kerkez makes an interception and inadvertently knocks the ball across the face of his own goal.
Finally, after that Mamardashvili tackle, the ball runs to Mount 25 yards from goal. He whistles a left-foot shot that is pushed away to his left by the diving Mamaradashvili.
26 min Mac Allister’s low shot from 20 yards is comfortably saved by Lammens. That’s the first shot on target at either end apart from the goal, though both teams have hit the post.
24 min: Fernandes hits the post!
Oof, and now it should be 2-0 to Manchester United. Cunha sprayed a superb crossfield pass out to Amad, who ran at the backpedalling Kerkez and into the Liverpool area. Eventually Amad flicked an inviting pass back towards Fernandes, who was charging onto the scene as if world peace depended on it. Fernandes slammed a first-time shot from 15 yards that clipped the outside of the post and flew wide. For a player of his quality, that’s a glorious chance.
20 min: Gakpo hits the post!
A thrilling break from Liverpool almost leads to the equaliser. Szoboszlai feeds a pass into the centre circle for the unmarked Salah, who turns and curls an excellent pass to Gakpo in the inside-left channel. Gakpo veers to the right, uses the last United defender as a screen and flashes a curling shot towards goal from 20 yards. It beats Lammens and bounces off the face of the right-hand post. That would have been a lovely goal.