United's strengths are also their weaknesses
And this is even true of Kobbie Mainoo, beautiful though his goal was
FIVE ASIDES Premier League: United 2, Liverpool 2
Which Man United will turn up? This has become a mantra for the pundits, who understandably see the team that surged past Liverpool in the FA Cup as distinct from the one that capitulated at Chelsea. But it doesn’t quite capture what’s been happening lately. United’s problem is not that they have different personalities for different occasions, but that they have both at the same time. Whether they win 4-3, lose 4-3, or draw 2-2, they’re simultaneously formidable and flimsy. Their strengths are also their weaknesses. And this is especially true of their engine room.
Look at Bruno Fernandes against Liverpool. He played what looked like a great through ball to Alejandro Garnacho in the second minute, but it came a moment too late, so a thrilling finish turned into a disallowed goal. Fernandes was consistently poor in the first half and managed only one shot-creating action in the match, instead of his usual six or seven. But he then took his goal magnificently, hitting the shot first time, going for it from 45 yards, finding the swagger and swaz of Wayne Rooney at his best. He ended the game by making some last-ditch tackles, plus a failed one, which was one of the dominoes that led to Harvey Elliott being knocked over and United losing their hard-won lead. The captain is like the Lord in the Bible: he giveth and he taketh away.
Or look at Kobbie Mainoo. He was the main villain for Liverpool’s first goal, losing Luis Diaz at a corner, leaving him free to slam home a volley. But Mainoo stayed calm enough to become the hero an hour later. He showed all his precocious talent to put United ahead – shielding the ball strongly, switching the play from right to left, issuing firm instructions to Aaron Wan-Bissaka (who often struggles to pick a pass), then swivelling through 180 degrees and hitting a no-look shot into the far corner. Mainoo now has two league goals in his career, both of them game-changing worldies. His chutzpah won the game at Wolves and it should have done the same here.
Or look at Casemiro. He kick-started the move for that second United goal with a flash of genius: the kick in question was an overhead one, finding Mainoo in space and making you wonder how he even knew his apprentice was there. Casemiro also confirmed that he is still United’s top target man at set pieces, timing two runs adroitly, coming within inches of converting a Marcus Rashford cross and laying on a cushioned header that would have been an assist had Rasmus Højlund not slipped, or had Willy Kambwala, so adept in defence, had the attacking nous to gamble with a lunge. In his day job, though, as a holding midfielder, Casemiro was repeatedly out-run by Mac Allister and Szoboszlai. He was as feeble as Fernandes with his defending in the run-up to the penalty, and his habit of giving away brainless free kicks nearly did for United at the death. He’s so liable to be a young head on old shoulders.
Still, by hook or by crook, Erik ten Hag has ended up unbeaten against Liverpool in Jürgen Klopp’s last season. He has two draws in the league to go with that rousing win in the cup, with the whole trilogy resembling one long experiment to prove xG wrong. The two sides now have near-identical records against this season’s top six: United nine points from nine games (W2 D3 L4), Liverpool eight from eight (W1 D5 L2). But while Liverpool have been on fire against the bottom 14 clubs (W20 D3 L0, making 63 points out of 69), United have blown hot-and-cold (W13 D1 L8, making 40 points out of 66). And now, after a hapless run that has brought only one win in six league games, they can feel the hot breath of Newcastle and Chelsea down their necks. United, who were eyeing the Champions League after reeling off four wins in February, are suddenly far more likely to finish eighth (a 13.4% chance in the eyes of Opta) than in the top five (4.3%). The postponed home game against Newcastle, now expected in the last midweek of the season, could be a knock-out for sixth.
Tim de Lisle is the editor of United Writing and a sportswriter for The Guardian. He watched this game at a sports bar near the Gare du Nord in Paris after his son had run the marathon. He had to share a table with a family of three who turned out to be Liverpool fans. They were disarmingly likeable and reassuringly anxious.