Another uninspiring home performance from the champions saw them come away with a 0-0 draw against Manchester United when a victory would have put them back on top of the table, dislodging one of their main rivals in the Premier League title chase.
Much ink has been spilled over Liverpool’s defensive woes this season, the loss of their three main centre-backs to injury – Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk are long-term absentees with knee issues, while Joel Matip, who has been out since 27 December with an abductor strain, is still a few days away from being available for selection; but the reality is that it’s Liverpool’s front three who have been struggling this season. The arrival of Diogo Jota and his sparkling form did seem to have injected the necessary competition for when Mo Salah, Sadio Mané or Roberto Firmino had an off-day, but his injury against Midtjylland on 9 December put a halt to this promising alternative and there's still no indication of when the Portuguese striker will return for the Reds.
The 7-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on 19 December and Roberto Firmino’s apparent rediscovery of his form in that game has proved to be a false dawn. Since the dismantling of the Eagles, Liverpool have failed to win a Premier League game – drawing with WBA, Newcastle and Man Utd and losing to Southampton. In those four games, Liverpool have only managed to score one goal – Sadio Mané's effort against WBA, and it was Firmino today who fluffed Liverpool’s best chances, two weak strikes from inside the penalty area that an in-form No. 9 would surely have made count.
Xherdan Shaqiri returning to the midfield didn’t provide the creative impetus Liverpool have needed – Jordan Henderson played well as a makeshift centre-back but his dynamism in midfield, his ability to break up opposing play and get Liverpool on the front foot, is sorely missed – while Trent Alexander Arnold continued his disappointing run of form, with some wayward passes and poor deliveries into the box. Indeed, as the game went on, Liverpool found themselves increasingly at risk of losing and had the ever-dependable Allison Becker to thank for the point after two exceptional late saves from Bruno Fernandez and Paul Pogba.
