As it happened: LFC 3-1 Man Utd

Premier League
Sunday 16 December 2018 - 4:00 pm
Anfield
Liverpool3
1Man Utd
Show Match Events
⚽️ Mane24'
27' Dalot
33'⚽️ Lingard
39' Lukaku
45'↔️ Dalot off, Fellaini on
Keïta off, Shaqiri on ↔️70'
⚽️ Shaqiri73'
⚽️ Shaqiri81'
Mane off, Henderson on ↔️84'
85'↔️ Lingard off, Mata on
Possession %
6436
Total Shots
335
Shots on Target
112
Shots Blocked
14
Offside
23
Hide Match Events

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool welcome Jose Mourinho's Man Utd to Anfield for this weekend's big Premier League clash.

Man Utd are having a disappointing season by their previous standards, whilst the reds are enjoying their best start to a top flight league campaign.

However, the reds are in the midst of a defensive issue with Matip, Gomez and Alexander-Arnold all injured, whilst even stand-in utility defender James Milner has suffered a muscle injury this week.

As a result Liverpool hand their first start of the season to Nathaniel Clyne.

Here's how the reds line up today.

Starting XI: Alisson, Clyne, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita, Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Subs: Mignolet, Henderson, Sturridge, Moreno, Lallana, Shaqiri, Camacho.

As it happened...

15:40 UK
Second place

Reminder that Liverpool are currently two points behind Man City with this game in hand.

Only a win will return LFC back to the top of the Premier League.

15:45 UK
Man Utd team

Victor Lindelof makes his return from injury.

United: De Gea; Dalot, Lindelof, Smalling, Darmian; Herrera, Matic; Rashford, Lingard, Young; Lukaku.

Subs: Romero, Bailly, Valencia, Pogba, Mata, Fellaini, Martial.

15:56 UK
Pre-Match injury

For Man United.

Chris Smalling foot injury in the warm up.  Eric Bailly upgraded to a start in his absence.

15:59 UK
Amended United team

Late change then for United - Phil Jones joins the subs.

United: De Gea; Dalot, Lindelof, Bailly, Darmian; Herrera, Matic; Rashford, Lingard, Young; Lukaku.

Subs: Romero, Jones, Valencia, Pogba, Mata, Fellaini, Martial.

16:00 UK
KICK OFF

United get the game underway.

INTO THEM REDS!

16:02 UK
Corner the reds

Salah and Firmino overlapping with a pacy run.

Liverpool earn a corner.

16:03 UK

3' Rashford earns a soft free kick about 35 yards out on the touchline.

Keita adjudged to have fouled the man, says ref Martin Atkinson.

16:05 UK

Well the free kick bizarrely goes straight into the goal after a couple of bounces.

Lukaku ruled offside.

16:05 UK

5' Another reds corner. Ball crossed in deep by the reds and Matic puts it behind to be safe.

Firmino gets his head on the corner but it goes wide.

16:10 UK

9' Drilled wide by Fabinho. Gets a deflection corner.  

They've got plenty of players back!

Corner, and United clear off the line...!

16:13 UK
Chance

13' I thought Mane was going to try and run the ball into the net.  He picked it up from the half way line and powered towards goal.  

It's taken off him and lands in Fabinho's lap - he smacks it over the bar.

Fabinho has been heavily involved today.

16:21 UK
Frenetic start

20 minutes gone.  Liverpool on top.  United's defence holding up well so far.

Fabinho and Wijnaldum have both had good starts to this game.

16:25 UK
GOAL!!!

24' Chants of 'You've never won the league' from United fans ???

Liverpool send in a cross, Mane is there to collect and smashes it past De Gea - it's 1-0!

16:27 UK
Yellow

27' Diogo Dalot handed a yellow card.  Desperate foul at the corner of the penalty box.

16:27 UK
Great chance

Free kick by Robertson, it's turned back in by Firmino but Lovren, from about 6 yards puts it over.

That should have been 2-0.

16:34 UK
Equaliser

33' Lingaard with the equaliser.

Cross from out the wing, Alisson spills the ball and Lingaard can stretch to put it in the net.

Against the run of play that, as it often is in these games.

1-1.

16:40 UK

40' Another yellow card this time for Lukaku for a nasty challenge on Keita.

Went straight through him.

16:46 UK
Offside call

45+1' Ball threaded through but Mane is offside.

2 minutes of injury time.

16:49 UK
HALF TIME

Liverpool the better side, so 1-1 means that United will go off the happier side.

Equaliser knocked the stuffing out of the reds who had made a bright start.  Fabinho amongst the pick of the bunch, Mane with a delightful chest down and shot.  Alisson stopped the cross but it bounced off his knee and into the path of Lingard.

Work to do.

17:02 UK
SECOND HALF

The second half is underway.

17:03 UK
Half time sub

Diogo Dalot (on a yellow card) replaced by Fellaini at half time.

17:07 UK

50' Liverpool probing from around the 40 yard line, but there's a lot of defenders to get through it seems.

Free kick won for the reds.  Herrara foul on Salah but it's out very wide.

17:09 UK

52' Good save by De Gea from Fimino, Mane gets to the follow up but it's defended.

17:19 UK

62' Liverpool still not found the way through this bus.  

Another corner for the reds coming up but it's all men back for the team in blue.

17:20 UK

63' Mane works his way into the box, lays it out and van Dijk shoots.  Deflected.

It's another corner.

17:22 UK

Danger now at the other end.

Rare Man United corner.

17:27 UK
LFC Sub

70' On comes Shaqiri for Naby Keita.

Twenty minutes to go.

17:28 UK

71' Fabinho collects the ball at the edge - strikes but it's straight at De Gea.

17:31 UK
GOAL!!!

73' BREAKTHROUGH!!

Excellent work from the reds.  Mane into the area - it spoons off De Gea and into the path of Shaqiri who smashes it in the top of the net.

2-1 to the reds

17:32 UK

75' Wijnaldum collects the ball and he drives towards goal.  His shot doesn't have the power though and it dribbles wide.

Mourinho looking sad on the bench.

17:32 UK

75' Lingard with a shot that just about stays inside the stadium.

17:38 UK
GOAL!!

SUPERSUB!

81' Firmino drags the ball across the 18 yard box and Shaqiri with his left foot fires another one - and another slight deflection off Bailly this time.

3-1.

17:41 UK
LFC Sub

83' Shaqiri is looking for the hat-trick. 

This time he lays it off to Wijnaldum who's shot doesn't have the requisite power.

Henderson coming on. Sadio Mane off.

17:42 UK
Man Utd Sub

85' Juan Mata on for Jesse Lingard.

17:48 UK
Injury time

We're into injury time now at Anfield.

3 minutes minimum to play.

17:48 UK

90+1' Time for another goal? Not yet.  Firmino drags his shot wide left of the Kop goal.

17:50 UK

90+2' It falls nicely for Mo Salah at the edge of the box.  He's got time to wrap his left foot around a curled effort that just goes over the crossbar.

You'll Never Walk Alone rings around Anfield.

17:51 UK
FULL TIME

Liverpool 3-1 Man United

The reds return to the top of the league and extend their gap over today's opponents to 19 points.



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