It was a contest between two of the world’s biggest clubs, cagey and intense at times, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 84th minute goal saw Manchester United and Liverpool share the points with a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Liverpool is in third place in the table on 45 points, seven back of first-place Chelsea. Manchester United remain in sixth place on 40 points.
“We would have liked to win, of course,” Ibrahimovic said. “Every game we want to win to close the gap even more. But OK, 1-1. We continue like this. We haven’t lost a game in 15 or 16, I believe. We are there.”
The Reds got on the board first in the 27th minute, and it started with this little bit of silliness from Paul Pogba.
It was the first of a couple of bizarre incidents in the first half for the French midfielder. He was lucky not to earn another whistle for this take down of Jordan Henderson in the box later in the first hall.
Paul Pogba got away with this https://t.co/qYfozQ4PGu
— Premier League Stuff (@EPLStuff) January 15, 2017
Of course, this isn’t the first time Pogba’s antics have been called into question. The result of the hand ball was a penalty, which James Milner dutifully put away to put the visitors on top.
James Milner the penalty master!
He has not lost a single game in which he has scored that's 45 unbeaten gameshttps://t.co/2hhtK9aGKU
— Liverpool FC 🌍 (@_LiverpooI) January 15, 2017
That lead held through the first half, thanks to a pair of fine saves from Simon Mignolet. One of them was a reflex stop on a pile driving free kick from Ibrahimovic.
Things opened up a bit in the second half, with both teams having chances to dent the scoreboard. In the end, though, the Swede found himself on the doorstep with the opportunity to snatch a winner.
“It was a good cross,” Ibrahimovic told a TV interviewer after the match. “I thought first that Fellani’s header would go in the goal, but OK, we get a second chance. Valencia put in a good ball and I stayed there and tried to hit the goal.”
In the 90th minute, a dust-up between Philippe Coutinho and Ander Herrera resulted in yellow cards for both, and some words between the managers.
Mourinho and Herrera have ruined Klopp's weekend. https://t.co/quaFXFD7GD
— Adam (@adxmjm) January 15, 2017
The draw was the second of the season between the sides, which hasn’t happened in league play since the 1986-87 season.
