Ruben Amorim will see hope in sealing gaping Manchester United midfield voids

Ruben Amorim tightened things in the middle for Liverpool trip, and the rest of the team stepped up in a pulsating game

Manchester United's Amad Diallo celebrates after scoring a late equaliser against Liverpool. Picture: AP Photo/Jon Super

This was a thrilling, bruising game, and even a very funny one at times. Not least in its final significant act with 96 minutes gone, a cross from the right that saw Harry Maguire unmarked in front of goal and wreathed suddenly in the cold, hard spotlight of destiny, but opting instead to smash the ball into the crowd like a man punting a crumpled-up beer can over a factory fence.

The end result was a good draw for Manchester United, which is no small thing, and definitely an improvement on the recent trend for bad defeats. It was probably a good result for Liverpool too after a performance that was spirited at times but some way short of the sunlit stroll of the first half of the season. This point will perhaps mean more by the end than some of those cloudless victories.