Three teams achieved positive results
(MENAFN) This season, three teams—Nottingham Forest, Fulham, and Manchester United—have traveled to Anfield, home of Premier League leaders Liverpool, and achieved positive results by adopting a similar style of play. The most recent example came from Manchester United, who secured a 2-2 draw in a match that many anticipated would be a dominant victory for Liverpool due to the large gap between the two clubs at the time. United's manager, Ruben Amorim, followed in the footsteps of Marco Silva and Nuno Espirito Santo by carefully studying and preparing his side to take advantage of Liverpool's vulnerabilities.
United consistently attacked down the left wing, exploiting the well-known defensive weaknesses of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Diogo Dalot's frequent runs created several opportunities, and Bruno Fernandes provided the perfect assist for Lisandro Martínez to score. United’s second goal came from a similar setup, with Alejandro Garnacho crossing from the left for Amad Diallo to score. A significant portion of United's attacking touches—54%—focused on the left side of the pitch, a clear strategy to target Alexander-Arnold’s defensive frailties. In fact, all of Liverpool's last six goals at Anfield had come from their left side, a continuing problem for manager Arne Slot's tactical plans. In addition to exploiting the left wing, United used long balls effectively, with goalkeeper Andre Onana launching nearly 80% of his kicks long to bypass Liverpool’s high defensive line. This tactic allowed Rasmus Højlund to capitalize on a sluggish Virgil van Dijk and create space for Fernandes and Diallo to exploit the gaps in Liverpool's defense.
Jamie Carragher of Sky Sports praised United's attacking trio for restricting Liverpool’s play, highlighting how United’s 3-4-3 system outperformed Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1. Slot agreed with this assessment, acknowledging that United’s strategy of bypassing high pressing and relying on long balls made it difficult for Liverpool to assert control. Slot only responded to the weakness on the left side in the 86th minute by bringing on Conor Bradley to replace Alexander-Arnold, a similar adjustment to one made in the Fulham match the previous month, demonstrating a recurring issue.
Fulham's manager Marco Silva also understood the key to success, as his side scored both goals against Liverpool from the left. The first goal saw Harry Wilson pass to Alex Iwobi, who found Anthony Robinson making a run from behind Alexander-Arnold. Robinson then assisted Andreas Pereira, who scored after a quick move behind Andy Robertson. The second goal followed a similar pattern, with Robinson exploiting the space left by Alexander-Arnold to set up Rodrigo Moniz for the finish. These matches highlight a clear trend: teams have found success against Liverpool by focusing on exploiting the left flank, particularly Alexander-Arnold's defensive weaknesses, while also using long balls to bypass Liverpool’s high line.
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