Much improved United earn point at Anfield

Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

A committed showing in an entertaining contest at the league leaders; how refreshing was that! It was certainly a pleasant surprise relative to our gloomy expectations.

The return of Ugarte and Mainoo helped midfield, as did that of a resurgent Bruno Fernandes, but there were positive performances across the defence, from Diogo Dalot against Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Garnacho off the bench as well. The only big question was why they haven't been able to produce this before now.

Marcus Rashford was not included in the squad; an expected move after Ruben Amorim said his training had been limited by illness, but Laurie shed a little light on the wider situation for Rashford with an article earlier in the weekend.

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