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"You have to respect the run of results and current mood"

Manchester United can take a point from trip to Anfield

Harry Maguire rues a missed chance for Manchester United against RB Leipzig
Harry Maguire rues a missed chance for Manchester United against RB LeipzigCredit: Stuart Franklin

This looks to be the perfect time for Manchester United to head to Anfield and I can see the new Premier League leaders maintaining their position at the top of the table after their clash with Liverpool.

A win may prove beyond the visitors, but they are in the right frame of mind to go to Merseyside and grab what would be considered a great point for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Many people have pondered how United have improved in recent weeks, winning eight and drawing two of their last ten Premier League matches, but I don't see a major jump in any one position.

It's a lot of smaller things contributing to their rise up the Premier League table. They look more reliable defensively and have attacking players who can provide moments which decide matches.

Defensively there is a greater consistency in performance and Eric Bailly's attributes are probably better suited to playing alongside Harry Maguire than Victor Lindelof.

I've always been a fan of Maguire and I never thought he was a waste of money, even at £80 million. He is a clever player and good footballer who is good in both boxes, but Maguire needs pace alongside him which makes Bailly the superior option now he is over his injury problems.

Maguire is growing into a leader and it's quite clear that Bruno Fernandes is someone United can rely on in that department. I also think Edinson Cavani has raised standards in the dressing-room and is the right sort of character.

Paul Pogba has shown up in the last few games and for all of the reasons above you have to give Solskjaer credit. I don't see United winning the league - I don't even see them finishing in the top two - but you have to respect the run of results and current mood.

Liverpool were efficient against Crystal Palace, scoring seven from so few chances created, but apart from that crazy result the front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have gone quiet at the same time.

It would be ridiculous to say it is a terminal decline and whoever finishes above the Reds wins the league in my book, but they just look off at the moment which isn't ideal before such a big match.

We don't know whether the mental and physical toll of playing for such a high-intensity team such as Liverpool is impacting on performances in this unique season and it's also totally understandable that Jurgen Klopp's side are missing Virgil van Dijk.

They did well to get so many victories straight after his injury but it is obviously a really big miss. Centre-back is one of the most important positions on the pitch - get that partnership right and a solid goalkeeper behind is the right starting block - but injuries to the other defenders are making life tricky for Klopp.

There is also the absence of a crowd, which suits United. Ask any United player and they will tell you a trip to Anfield is the most difficult away day of the season because for these big matches there is not a more atmospheric ground in European football.

It's another small tick in the United box and those minor details could make all the difference in such a tight clash.

Scott Minto presents the Racing Post's weekly YouTube football show Different League in association with Betfred


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