How Liverpool failed to beat Manchester United despite dominating possession

Liverpool came to Old Trafford with the opportunity to move above Man City if they gained at least one point against in-form Manchester United. Liverpools game plan against the big sides is to often look to draw, as one point is better than none.

And Liverpool did in fact just this. Undoubtedly this game could have been a much more exciting fixture in terms of goals, but the game wasnt boring from a tactical perspective. It was like a game of chess; Solskjaer vs Klopp, Scouse vs Manc.

Whilst Klopps men dominated possession, this didnt equate to superior chances. United finished with an xG of 0.72, massively higher than Liverpools measly xG of 0.09. To put both statistics to into perspective, Premier League strugglers Cardiffs xG in a 4-1 loss to Chelsea was 0.78.

So whilst this game wasnt full of goals, or much real entertainment, there were some significant events to discuss in this tactical analysis.

How they lined up

Both teams offered no shocks in terms of tactical shapes, but the choice of personnel from either side was thought provoking to say the least.

Id like to point out James Milner as a player of interest. His use at right-back was a smart tactical move by Klopp. Milner was used in a highly advanced role, and this was done to near perfection. As you can see above, United only play with one wide player on either flank: their full-backs. Klopp used James Milner as a pawn, by pushing him so high that Luke Shaw was forced to occupy him, allowing Salah to theoretically have much more room to manoeuvre.

Boring James Milner

The Englishman had quite the job in this derby. To some though, his position in the starting lineup over Trent Alexander-Arnold was a shock. Alexander-Arnold wasnt dropped; this was a tactical choice. Lets look into this tactical decision more deeply.