In the goalless stalemate at Anfield between Man United and Liverpool, this behemoth was the true hero.
As massive underdogs going into Anfield, Manchester United hoped to escape the humiliation of the previous season, which served as the impetus for the team’s collapse. Ultimately, the team barely made it over the finish line, finishing third.
Erik ten Hag, nevertheless, was able to lead his club to a crucial Premier League point while maintaining a clean sheet, making them the first team to shut out Liverpool at home in any competition this year.
United put in a lot of work to earn a goalless draw, and after various players contributed, especially in midfield and defense, they will undoubtedly be the happier team.
Kobbie Mainoo’s performance in numbers
11 first-team players, including club captain Bruno Fernandes, were sidelined by injury or suspended during Manchester United’s trip to Merseyside.
Whenever Fernandes isn’t available, ten Hag substitutes Scott McTominay for Sofyan Amrabat in a midfield two. McTominay is inserted as the number ’10’ in this configuration. Ten Hag so bravely decided to throw 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo in with Amrabat to test if he would swim or sink.
Against Liverpool at Anfield, Mainoo became the youngest player in Man United history to start, and he maintained his composure the entire way.
After the game, ten Hag acknowledged, saying, “You are old enough when you are good enough. He demonstrated that. Moreover, the academy product’s performance was deemed “spectacular” by football agent Liam Canning, who also called him a “special talent”.
The young player finished the game with an 89% passing accuracy even though the visitors only had 31% of the ball for the whole game. He had 30 touches overall. In addition, Mainoo won 67% of his ground duels and three passes into the final third before being replaced with eight minutes of normal time remaining.
Although the midfielder, who has a promising future, gave an excellent performance, there was one player at the back who was superior to Mainoo.
Raphael Varane’s performance in numbers
Long stretches of the match saw Manchester United under pressure as Liverpool barraged the goal with 34 efforts, 15 of which came from outside the penalty area. Raphael Varane, however, put in a fantastic performance to shut out the hosts while partnering the seasoned Jonny Evans at the back.
Throughout the game, the World Cup winner—who ten Hag is rumored to have put up for sale ahead of the winter transfer window—made 15 clearances, two blocks, three interceptions, and two ball recoveries.
Furthermore, as Liverpool threw balls into the box in an attempt to force a winning goal, the 30-year-old was lethal in the air, winning 100% of his duels (4/4) according to FotMob.
Varane had only made two starts for the Red Devils since the end of October, but he more than lived up to the expectations of his teammates, displaying remarkable coolness at the back against one of the most formidable forward lines in the top division of England.
Respected Man United reporter Andy Mitten even went so far as to say, following the match, that Varane and Evans together were a greater pairing than the renowned Liverpool duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney from The Beatles.
Varane possesses undroppable qualities ahead of United’s trip to West Ham United on Saturday; Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News gave him an 8/10 match rating. Varane was a major factor in United’s victory over their fierce rivals.
