Liverpool
Simon Mignolet – 7
Produced an important save to deny fellow Belgian Lukaku towards the end of the first half but it was an afternoon where his concentration levels were tested just as much as his reflexes.
Joe Gomez – 7
A vast improvement on recent performances and Klopp’s decision to start him ahead of Alexander-Arnold was repaid with Gomez standing his ground against Martial whilst constantly venturing forward on the right flank.
Joel Matip – 6
A stable performance in defence but was not overly tested – his most important contribution was forcing a tremendous save from De Gea with a clever shot that should have given Liverpool the lead.
Dejan Lovren – 6
Was involved in numerous physical altercations with Lukaku and seemed to relish the duel – however on one occasion he did overstep the mark with an embarrassing overreaction in an attempt to get the Belgian striker sent off.
Alberto Moreno – 6
It appeared as if Klopp had told Moreno to rein-in his attacking forays and focus more on defending against Young and Valencia, which begs the question why not play Robertson instead? However, the Spaniard performed reasonably well.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 7
Was one of Liverpool’s better players – had plenty of the ball in midfield and produced numerous through-balls to the attacking players.
Jordan Henderson – 7
After a few disappointing games for England, he was back in a Liverpool shirt and back to doing what he does best – dominating the midfield, intercepting the ball and providing the creative players with his range of passing.
Emre Can – 6
Not a bad performance from Can but not especially great either – had one chance in the second half to give Liverpool the lead.
Mohamed Salah – 6
Started brightly but quickly faded and failed to really test the United defence and goalkeeper – he tends to epitomise Liverpool at the moment; lots of good quality possession but no killer instinct in front of goal
Roberto Firmino – 5
An anonymous performer in recent matches did show signs of life with a couple of chances – a case of a few sparks but no dynamism.
Philippe Coutinho – 6
Was effectively marked out of the match by Herrera and thus struggled to create many opportunities
Manchester United
David De Gea – 8
Has often shown his best form in this fixture and he was at it again – a superb save denied Matip in the first half and meant that United left with the point that they wanted.
Matteo Darmian – 6
Was chosen as a more solid left back to Young – had plenty to deal with trying to nullify Salah and required the help of his midfielders at times.
Chris Smalling – 7
Injury to Eric Bailly presented Smalling with his opportunity – handled Firmino well enough and limited Coutinho’s influence too.
Phil Jones – 7
Has been excellent so far this season and defended well against Liverpool’s midfield runners and attackers – was protected well by Matic and Herrera.
Antonio Valencia – 6
Arguably United’s best defender this season – produced a great tackle early on when facing Coutinho one-on-one.
Ander Herrera – 6
Has succeeded previously in diminishing the influence of Coutinho and was tasked with the job again – even though he didn’t start well he found his way into the match and worked well with Matic.
Nemanja Matic – 7
Did what he does so well – intercepting, tackling and passing – also had a shot that only just went over the crossbar.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 4
Struggled with the defensive formation that Mourinho had laid out – had no influence whatsoever and was subbed after 62 minutes.
Anthony Martial – 5
Wasn’t given much of the ball out on the left side and also seemed unenthused with the defensive approach
Ashley Young – 6
Was moved to a more advanced role by Mourinho, most likely to assist Valencia.
Romelu Lukaku – 5
Failed to deliver in this big game – was left isolated and his patience was tested – only managed a handful of opportunities, with his only one on target saved by Mignolet.
