It made for a drab night in, really.After all the hype surrounding Manchester United’s visit to Anfield, the game didn’t live up to the occasion. A lot has happened since United last visited Liverpool: Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all arrived at United, Liverpool have played in and lost a European final, and James Milner has become a left-back. Liverpool have also become one of the form teams in the Premier League.But after just 20 minutes last night, you probably knew this wasn’t going to be the shocking and enthralling game the hype promised it would be. Liverpool didn’t look like the attacking force they’ve been for most of this season,and by the time the second half rolled around, United didn’t look interested in forcing an attack at all.For a dire 0-0, however, we did see some great saves, openings worked, a thrilling last-ditch tackle from Antonio Valencia and also some shocking stats!Here are five of the best to come out of that Premier League epic that was Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United….
Ander Herrera on fire
In his man of the match performance last night, Ander Herrera made 11 interceptions during the 90 minutes. That’s more than any other player in the Premier League this season.
His other numbers are just as impressive – it was the complete midfield performance from a player many feel is often ‘too nice’. It looks like Jose Mourinho may have other ideas about how Herrera can play.
United’s possession
United looked very much like a Jose Mourinho team. They were well-drilled, they were solid and they gave Liverpool no room to work openings in attacking areas. But when you think of Mourinho teams, you probably don’t automatically compare them to Manchester United teamÂ- certainly not the most romantic of United sides under Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby.
This was a very Mourinho match,and United’s lowest possession percentage since Opta began recording – and you can bet for a long time before that, too – shows that difference perfectly.
Jurgen Klopp’s goalless draws
Is this the strangest stat to come out of the North West derby? Jurgen Klopp has endured just two 0-0 draws as Liverpool manager. One came against Tottenham Hotspur on 17th October 2015, the other last night against Manchester United on 17th October 2016.
Well, it is almost Halloween!
Marouane Fellaini’s pass accuracy
But maybe there’s a stranger stat!
Marouane Fellaini wasn’t, perhaps, the most stand-out player in the game, nor is he the player you think of when you’re looking for a nice, tidy passer. In fact, you probably think more of the man of the match Ander Herrera.
Yet the roles were, in some senses, reversed: Herrera did the dirty work and Fellaini was the tidy midfielder doing the simple things well. And his 91% pass accuracy is testament to that.
Yep, that’s 91%. I know, me neither….
Once a decade event
Pop quiz time! When was the last time Manchester United and Liverpool drew 0-0?
It was 18th September 2005. That’s over 11 years since the two last played out a goalless draw. That game was played at Anfield, too: Liverpool were European champions, Rafael Benitez was still in charge, and the best chance of the game fell to Mohamed Sissoko.
That was 27 games ago. And before then you had to go back to 1991 for another league game to finish 0-0 between these two.
So when you reflect on your week and you decide that watching a drab North West derby that wasn’t worth your time, you should remember what you witnessed: a once-in-a-decade event you may not see again for years.
