Zlatan Saves The Day With Late Goal Vs Liverpool

Zlatan Saves The Day With Late Goal Vs Liverpool

Manchester United faced Liverpool on Sunday and the two sides played out a very entertaining game even if it was not of the highest technical standard as Jurgen Klopp pointed out in his after match interview with Sky Sports. In the first half Liverpool were the better side doing more with the ball but still did not really create many good chances. United on the other hand had an uneven first half where they tried to take Liverpool on at their own game but were coming off second best. Liverpool were especially effective at set-pieces where United really struggled to match up with Klopp’s players even having trouble marking players when the ball was crossed into the box from open play sometimes.

Liverpool’s goal came as a result of a cross coming into United’s box. For no apparent reason when contesting a cross with Dejan Lovren Paul Pogba bizarrely reached out and deflected the ball away with his hand when he could just have easily used his head. James Milner stepped up to take the penalty and he made no mistake, smashing the ball into the corner of David De Gea’s net giving the Spaniard no chance. So on the half hour mark Liverpool were up 1-0 courtesy of Pogba’s “momentary lapse in reason” and although Klopp’s team played the better football in the first half, United had several very good chances with the best falling to Mkhitaryan who beat a couple of men and raced through on goal only to be denied by a good save from Mignolet in the ‘pool net. Pogba himself had a great chance to score when through on goal but he dragged his shot just wide of Mignolet’s left post when he should have at least worked the keeper. Pogba though is definitely starting to really find his feet back at United as he often simply oozes class as he glides around the field with his athleticism.

The second half came with a more direct approach from Man United as Jose Mourinho made some adjustments sending on Wayne Rooney to start the half replacing Michael Carrick and then the United boss sent on his trump cards as Juan Mata went on for Anthony Martial on 65 minutes and Marouane Fellaini replaced Matteo Darmian in the 76th minute as Jose went for it. United were definitely the better side in the second half and were pressing hard for the equalising goal throughout the half, looking like if a goal was to be scored then it was going to come from the Red-Devils.


Just when all hope was starting to be lost,  the “man that makes things happen for United” Zlatan Ibrahimovic managed to meet Antonio Valencia’s cross and beat Mignolet in the Liverpool net with a superb header. It was the United talisman’s 19th goal of an already brilliant season and he has scored 14 goals in the first 20 Premier League games of his career. United were more than deserving of the point they got but their performance merited more particularly in the second half. United face Stoke City away next Saturday where they will be looking to start a new winning streak after Liverpool ended their 9 game winning streak. Manchester United look like a totally different team to the one that tied 0-0 at Anfield in the first fixture back in October. United are a confident looking group now who do not panic if they go a goal down as they know they can score anytime with the weapons they have plus Jose Mourinho and his players can still feel rather good about being unbeaten in 10 games.