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Shearer opined that United should take their performance at Anfield as a yardstick of what they are capable of and need to capitalise on the momentum they have garnered from the draw.
Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, center, celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Liverpool during the English Premier League soccer match at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Premier League side Manchester United managed to hold table-toppers Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday in a stunning turn of fortunes for the side from Manchester, who have been sub-par since the beginning of the season.
The high-profile game was billed as a contest between two sides on opposite sides of the PL table as Liverpool stand atop the league table while United languish in the bottom half.
However, United managed to take a point from the game on the road as strikes from Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo cancelled out goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah for Arne Slot’s men.
PL legend Alan Shearer opined that United should take their performance at Anfield as a yardstick of what they are capable of and need to capitalise on the momentum they have garnered from the draw.
“I don’t think many people thought Manchester United were capable of getting a positive result at Anfield, let alone producing the superb performance they did on Sunday,” the PL all-time top scorer said.
“I certainly didn’t see it coming. In contrast, Liverpool did not play well, and never came close to hitting the heights we have seen from them this season,” Shearer added.
Shearer went onto state that Liverpool were still in a good position despite the disappointing result in front of home fans, as the Reds sit six points clear of chasing Arsenal despite having played a game less.
“Clearly, there’s no need for them to panic. Once the dust has settled on these dropped points and a disappointing display, Liverpool are still in a brilliant position at the top of the table,” he added.
United led through Martinez’s strike early in the second half of the game which unsettled Liverpool. However, Slot’s men levelled through Gakpo before Salah put the hosts ahead from the spot. But, there was yet another twist in the tale as Diallo netted ten minutes from time to give United a share of the points.
“What gives the chasing pack a glimmer of hope are the goals that Liverpool conceded on Sunday. They looked flustered when they fell behind in the second half, something we have not seen very often recently, and United’s attacking threat continued to rattle them,” he added.
United are slated to take on Arsenal in an FA Cup encounter next, and Shearer opined that Ruben Amorim’s men need to ensure that their performance at Merseyside wasn’t a one-off showing and to make it a norm.
“Now, they have to back it up. While we already know Liverpool are the real deal and a disappointing day for them does not change that, the challenge for United is to prove this was not a one-off,” the former Newcastle striker said.
“There is no harder place to go in the Premier League this season than Anfield so this performance has shown what they can do, but every game from now on will be compared to it,” he continued.
“It has set the standards that they have to meet in the next few weeks or months, and whether it is at Arsenal in the FA Cup next weekend or at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton a few days later, the level they reached here has to become the norm,” Shearer concluded.
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