Liverpool inched one point clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table after a goalless draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.
While the match lacked goalmouth action, there was plenty to interest (and worry) Fantasy managers ahead of the Gameweek 28 deadline tomorrow night.
A remarkable first half saw four players – including Roberto Firmino – forced off through injury, while Marcus Rashford played through the pain barrier for the bulk of the match having picked up a knock very early on.
This stalemate in the north-west was Jurgen Klopp’s side’s third draw in four Gameweeks and the Reds’ attacking assets again failed to click in front of goal, having struggled for fluidity in the 1-1 draws with Leicester and West Ham over the last month.
Fantasy defenders were on top in this match, with Manchester United recording their fifth shut-out of 2019 and three of the Liverpool backline collecting FPL bonus points to supplement their clean sheets.
We delve into the myriad Fantasy talking points in our latest Scout Notes article below and bring you the latest quotes and updates on the walking wounded.
Manchester United 0-0 Liverpool
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cast doubt on Marcus Rashford‘s (£7.8m) involvement in Gameweek 28 after Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United, with the England forward having suffered an ankle injury in the opening exchanges of Sunday’s clash.
The Norwegian manager said:
I haven’t seen him after the game or after he had treatment. If he plays, I’ll be maybe surprised.
Rashy obviously was kicked, he did his ankle straight away. We should have took him off as well, but we couldn’t, could we? We played with ten-and-a-half men, but Rashy’s attitude made up for it, to be fair.
He worked the line well, we had to put him through the middle ‘cos we couldn’t risk them coming down the sides.
Solskjaer added to Sky Sports:
He was injured in the first minute, with the first tackle they made on him, one of plenty. [Jordan] Henderson went through him, his ankle is like a balloon. That was just one of many fouls on him.
Rashford’s injury was one of four sustained by United players during the match itself, with Juan Mata (£6.1m), Ander Herrera (£5.0m) and Jesse Lingard (£6.7m) – himself a substitute, having only just returned from a muscular issue – all succumbing to hamstring strains in the first half.
The United interim boss didn’t put a timeframe on those three players’ returns, saying that he had “no idea” when he can expect Mata, Herrera or Lingard back.
Solskjaer added:
You’re never surprised in football. You’ve always got to be ready for anything, losing three players in the first half with hamstring injuries.
We’ve lost a few with muscle injuries, hamstrings, but we’ve got some good kids coming through, so don’t worry about it. We’ll have 11 players on the pitch on Wednesday night, as well. Luckily we’ve got two days of recovery!
Anthony Martial (£7.2m) failed to recover from a groin problem for this fixture, while Nemanja Matic (£5.0m) missed out after picking up an injury in training.
Solskjaer said of the Serbian midfielder:
It’s a big blow, he’s had a muscle injury so will be out for a few weeks.
Nemanja with his experience and his performances lately had been vital for us.
Liverpool weren’t quite so badly affected by the on-field carnage but they did lose Roberto Firmino (£9.2m) to an ankle injury after just half an hour.
While Jurgen Klopp didn’t deliver a meaningful prognosis on the Brazilian striker, Firmino was seen leaving Old Trafford on crutches.
The Liverpool boss said:
Unfortunately, I have no clue. It was something with the ankle, that’s for sure.
Bobby said at first he could carry on but then he showed it didn’t work.
I don’t know exactly; it is Bobby, so it will be quicker than with all the others but first, we have to know what it is exactly and we don’t know at the moment.
Daniel Sturridge (£5.6m) replaced his injured team-mate on Sunday and could come into the reckoning for a rare start on Wednesday evening against Watford should Firmino be ruled out, though Divock Origi (£5.0m) and Xherdan Shaqiri (£6.9m) – who both came off the bench at Old Trafford – will be also vying for that third attacking slot alongside Mohamed Salah (£13.6m) and Sadio Mane (£9.6m).
It was another off-day for the Egyptian in a match against a fellow “big six” club – Salah has only delivered attacking returns in one of his eight league meetings with United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs this season.
A skied free-kick attempt was Salah’s one effort on goal in Manchester, with the Egypt international looking laborious at times and frequently being dispossessed or guilty of taking a heavy touch – the fact that he scored zero on the Baseline Bonus Points System and was hooked on 78 minutes summed up his afternoon.
Happily for Salah and Liverpool, only two of those fixtures against “big six” opposition remain this season.
Watford are the visitors to Anfield on Wednesday, a team Salah has fond memories of after his 29-point haul against the Hornets in 2017/18.
This current version of Salah looks some way short of his best, however, and a Watford side that has conceded only three goals in the last five Gameweeks (registering three clean sheets along the way) will surely be a tougher nut to crack this time around – especially after two extra days’ rest.
Klopp said of Salah’s display:
Mo knows he can play better than he did today, we know he can. Two weeks ago, when we played against Bournemouth, that was amazing. Against Bayern he was up against Alaba, a world-class player himself, they are not blind.
It’s about how we use him, how we play him, how we move and all that stuff. Today obviously, Lindelof and Shaw together did a pretty good job. I have to talk here about the game, but I am not too much interested in that game anymore because I am thinking about what can I do so that we are really spot-on on Wednesday night.
Mane came into this match in scintillating FPL form but he too was to be frustrated by the United rearguard effort, not managing a single shot on goal or key pass.
United’s backline deserves credit for their stingy display and it is difficult to think of one decent opportunity the visitors carved out.
Sturridge’s speculative long-range effort, indeed, was the only shot on target that Klopp’s side had.
Luke Shaw (£5.0m) had an excellent game at left-back and was chiefly responsible for snuffing out Salah’s threat, while the solid Victor Lindelof (£5.0m) and Chris Smalling (£5.6m) ensured David de Gea (£5.7m) barely had to dirty his gloves.
No Premier League club has as many clean sheets as Manchester United in 2019.
Solskjaer said of his side’s defensive display:
Chris [Smalling] and Victor [Lindelof] are fantastic centre-backs and they defended really well. On Luke Shaw, when they took Salah off and they still needed a goal, you know how well he’s played.
I’ve got to say I’m very pleased with the defending. We know we’ve got to perform better with the ball. We can play better but then again I thought Paul [Pogba] was outstanding. Everything he did there was a thought behind it, so he stepped up again.
Sadly for Paul Pogba’s (£8.8m) Fantasy owners, most of what the Frenchman did well on Sunday was off the ball in a more tactically disciplined performance.
Who the Frenchman lines up alongside on Wednesday night at Selhurst Park and how that may adversely impact on his Fantasy returns remains to be seen.
Of what could be argued is United’s first-choice front six, only Pogba isn’t a doubt or ruled out for that midweek trip to south London.
Pogbay may find himself again starting alongside the likes of Scott McTominay (£4.2m), Andreas Pereira (£4.5m), Romelu Lukaku (£10.7m) and Alexis Sanchez (£10.0m), all of whom featured at Old Trafford on Sunday as the injuries mounted.
As Solskjaer was correct to point out, however, United enjoyed the better of what few opportunities there were, with Lingard being denied by a last-ditch Alisson (£6.0m) intervention, Pogba seeing a goalbound effort headed away by Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) and Smalling unable to reach a teasing Lukaku delivery late on.
The interim United boss said:
We’ve come out with so many positives. I cannot remember David having to make a save, so we kept them out of it and we probably created one or two massive moments that we could have scored. Chris, if he was a striker, he would have got his studs on that one. Jesse’s chance, before he got the recurrence of his injury, was the biggest.
While Alisson, van Dijk and Andrew Robertson (£6.8m) enjoyed bonus points to go with their clean sheets, one Liverpool defender who missed out on a defensive haul was Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.2m).
The England full-back was overlooked in favour of James Milner (£5.6m), with Klopp explaining his selection decision before kick-off:
Trent was out for a while, played the last game and we have two games coming up. We will need Trent in the next weeks very much. So I don’t want to do it today and Wednesday, for example, which is a difficult task and we have Millie available, that helps.
Manchester United (4-4-2 diamond): de Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Herrera (Pereira 21′), McTominay, Pogba, Mata (Lingard 25′, Sanchez 43′); Lukaku, Rashford.
Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Becker; Milner, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Shaqiri 72′), Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah (Origi 78′), Firmino (Sturridge 31′), Mane.
