Man U hold out for a gritty draw against Liverpool

Manchester United gave under-fire boss Erik ten Hag some breathing space with a gritty draw at arch rivals Liverpool.

Arsenal took advantage of Liverpool’s stalemate to take pole position in the Premier League, while champions Manchester City are stuck in a rut following their damaging draw with Crystal Palace.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.

As Erik ten Hag stood on the touchline before kick-off at Anfield, Liverpool’s famous ‘You’ll never walk alone’ anthem might have seemed like a cruel joke to Manchester United’s beleaguered boss.

Amid reports that Ten Hag is struggling to retain the support of players said to be unhappy with his hardline personality, facing a Liverpool side that had crushed United 7-0 last season was the most daunting of assignments.

Ten Hag arrived on Merseyside fighting to save his job after United’s dismal Champions League group stage exit followed hot on the heels of an embarrassing home defeat against Bournemouth.

But United finally showed the kind of defiant fighting spirit so often absent this term as they subdued their bitter rivals with a well-organised defensive display in the 0-0 draw.

Taking heart from his players showing he won’t walk alone, Ten Hag said: “The way we defended was almost perfect. When we made a mistake there was always a team-mate to sort it out. I think that is the big win from today.

“Always you have to fight for each other. At Manchester United it is always the same. We against the rest.”

Arsenal were criticised last season for falling in the home straight, allowing Manchester City to cruise past them after topping the Premier League table for much of the campaign.

This time they are competing against multiple challengers in Liverpool, Aston Villa and City, but again they are in pole position.

The Gunners were brushed aside 3-0 by Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton in the corresponding fixture in May, all but ending their Premier League title hopes.

On Sunday, Arsenal were dominant at the Emirates, firing 26 shots to Brighton’s six and coming away with a 2-0 win.

But Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta still wants his team to show a more clinical edge.

“We needed too many situations to kill the game — and that was the fear, especially after half-time, that it would be one of those days,” he said.

Next weekend the Gunners face a crucial trip to second-placed Liverpool as they look to sit top of the tree at Christmas and prove they are the real deal in the title race.

For the fifth time in their last six league games, Manchester City were left frustrated by a fatal combination of defensive miscues and poor finishing.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won only once in that dispiriting period after blowing a two-goal lead in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

The Etihad Stadium faithful filed out in disbelief as goals from Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis were cancelled out by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s strike and Michael Olise’s penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Hampered by injuries to Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, fourth-placed City trail Arsenal by five points as they head off to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup, where Lewis hopes they can cure what ails them.

“It’s another challenge, another game for us to react and show how good we are and that’s the good thing about football, there’s always another game,” Lewis said of their semi-final against Urawa Red Diamonds.

“We need to show and prove to everyone, and more importantly to ourselves, that we can get the results we deserve.”

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AFP

(NAMPA / AFP)