Following Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw between Liverpool and Manchester United, manager Jurgen Klopp lost all control of his annoyance.
Even though his Liverpool team was unable to win on Sunday, Jurgen Klopp is optimistic that Arsenal will defeat Manchester United on the road later in the season. The Reds were held to a frustrating 2-2 Premier League draw at Old Trafford, which gave the Gunners the advantage in goal differential to reclaim the top spot.
At the half, Liverpool had total control over a United team that had failed to muster a single effort on goal during the opening forty-five minutes. In Manchester, Luis Diaz scored from a corner to give the visitors the lead.
However, outstanding goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo gave United the lead and sent Old Trafford into a frenzy as they took advantage of Liverpool’s weak defense. After Aaron Wan-Bissaka tripped Harvey Elliott, the Reds were able to salvage a late draw through Mohamed Salah’s penalty kick.
Liverpool, though, still had plenty of opportunities to win the game handily. And following their 3-0 thumping of Brighton on Saturday night, Klopp concedes that their title rivals Arsenal—who have won 10 of their 11 league games in 2024—should defeat United on May 11 at the same venue.
After the game, Klopp acknowledged that Arsenal was a strong football team and that “I’m 100 percent sure Arsenal will win that game if [United] play like they did today.” I regret to inform you that this is a true statement.
We had a chance to win both games against United in the FA Cup and the league, but we lost. We are to blame for that. We have never dominated United like we did in these two games, even though we were not victorious. That is, until I came here.
I have no problem with the fact that we are who we are and where we are at [in the table]. Until the very end, I knew it would be very difficult. We were leading the table until yesterday; now it’s Arsenal. After 38 games, we aim to be at the top.”
Three weeks prior to this match, Liverpool had lost 4-3 at the same venue in the FA Cup quarterfinals, so this 2-2 draw at United was very similar to that match.
Despite having 53 shots on goal in those two games, the visitors were unable to win either of them. Virgil van Dijk, the captain, lamented the same errors that cost them the cup.
Once again, the Dutch defender looked defeated as he said, “It’s all our own fault.” At the very least, we ought to have led 2-0 at the break. We produced moments of danger. They were under our control. It’s unfortunate. At this point, it feels very much like a loss.
“We gave them a lifeline because we threw away our opportunities. In a game, mistakes can be made by individuals. We had plenty of time to correct the situation in the game, but we were playing too quickly and were losing too many balls and challenges in the midfield.
“It was then completely open. It has the feel of a loss. It reminds me of the cup game once more. We played much better in the first half; we limited and created chances. However, we are aware that if we don’t finish the game, one moment could alter the outcome.
The disappointing thing is that. It was our day to win here. In actuality, we didn’t, and as a result, we now have to make up for it in all the upcoming games.”
Arsenal leads Liverpool at the top of the table on goal differential as a result of the draw at Old Trafford. With seven games left in the season, Arsenal and Liverpool are both on 71 points; Arsenal’s score is +51 and Liverpool’s is +42.
With a goal differential of +40, reigning champions Manchester City are only one point behind the pair. The following weekend, they take on relegation-threatened Luton Town at home on Saturday at 3 p.m.
On Sunday, both Arsenal and Liverpool will play. The Reds take on Crystal Palace at Anfield at 2:00 pm, while the Gunners take on Aston Villa at the Emirates at 3:30 pm.
