Depleted Liverpool encouraged to hold red-hot Manchester United to draw

Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Simon Mignolet of Liverpool applaud the travelling fans after drawing Manchester United 1-1 at Old Trafford on January 15, 2017 in Manchester, England. Laurence GriffithShow more

Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool

United: Ibrahimovic (84')

Liverpool: Milner (27' PEN)

Man of the Match: Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Living in Merseyside, Jurgen Klopp is aware of the importance of the Beatles. He even turned up for a press conference once in a T-shirt advertising Liverpool’s most famous band. Klopp has tended to be less concerned with beetles. Until now, that is.

Manchester United were on a roll, a team who had recorded nine straight wins. They were denied a 10th by Klopp’s Liverpool.

“United look like a rolling beetle and everything goes in their direction,” said the German, displaying his capacity to create a memorable phrase.

He fashioned a defiant performance, too, one that took Liverpool to within a few minutes of victory.

Liverpool were depleted, not defeated, minus Sadio Mane, Joel Matip and Nathaniel Clyne, only benefiting from Philippe Coutinho’s presence for the final half-hour. They confounded many a prediction. They pleased their manager. “Our performance was nice,” said Klopp.

Normally it is the team that score a late leveller who emerge feeling triumphant. Not on this occasion.

“We are not 100 per cent satisfied,” said Jose Mourinho. He will get few better chances to beat Klopp’s Liverpool. His side were not the sum of their parts.

One of the Old Trafford Galacticos, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, served as United's rescuer. In particular, he came to the aid of his closest friend. Paul Pogba's image was everywhere around Old Trafford, displayed on the billboards as he became the first Premier League player to have his own Twitter emoji.

Amid the pictures of Pogba’s head, referee Michael Oliver spotted his hand, touching the ball as he failed to mark Dejan Lovren. James Milner converted the resulting penalty. Liverpool led.

“We were the team that attacked and Liverpool were the team that defended,” said Mourinho, stung by accusations of negativity when United parked the bus at Anfield in October.

Yet that ignores the opportunities Liverpool fashioned on the counter-attack: Roberto Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum’s spurned chances at 1-0 came at a cost.

But United did make more chances. One of Liverpool’s most maligned players proved perhaps their most dependable. Simon Mignolet’s day almost began in embarrassment. He cannoned a clearance into Ibrahimovic, and it looped on to the roof of the net. It did not end in triumph either.

In between, however, the much-maligned Belgian was terrific. Henrikh Mkhitaryan could testify to his fine form. Pogba missed the target when he perhaps should have scored.

But Liverpool were resolute, organised and energetic. Their midfield diamond functioned well.

“We were the better team for the whole game,” added Klopp. “Then they came with [Marouane] Fellaini and long balls. The ball was 25 minutes in the air.”

Liverpool are entitled to wonder if it would have been different had their tallest defender been eligible. Joel Matip was withdrawn from consideration, Fifa farcically failing to rule if a player who has retired from international football but was called by Cameroon is available during the African Cup of Nations.

Mourinho is not inclined to sympathise and packed the penalty area with his tallest players. One of them, the substitute Fellaini, headed against the post. Another, Ibrahimovic, headed in his 13th goal in as many games seconds later.

That Wayne Rooney had crossed for Fellaini irritated Liverpool. Klopp implied the United captain should have been sent off for a stamp on Milner.

“If it was an ugly challenge, write it,” Klopp said.

There was no 250th United goal for Rooney. Instead the impressive statistics belonged to a Liverpool team forced to field an 18-year-old, in Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was making a maiden Premier League start.

Even with Ibrahimovic’s late goal, they have 21 points from 27 against the Premier League’s top nine. On such stages, they are not Beatles, but Unbeatables.

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