18 Oct 2016

Carra raves: €39m Liverpool-duo were 'outstanding' against Man Utd and dominated 'amazing' attacker

What is the biggest positive to take from last night's Premier League draw with Manchester United?

According to Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher^:

"I thought LFC’s centre-backs were outstanding, and kept Zlatan quiet. A big bonus is the clean sheet. Liverpool never played well and Man Utd nullified our strengths, so it was vital not to make a mistake and lose it.

A clean sheet against Man Utd is always a bonus, and it's take Liverpool eight Premier League games to achieve one this season.

Granted, United failed to put Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren under any kind of sustained pressure, but overall - one or two hair moments from Karius notwithstanding - the defensive unit is growing in stature and solidity.

Reds fans rave over Sadio Mane (who had a poor game), but in my view, Matip is Liverpool's signing of the summer, and he exudes calm and authority at the back, something that is (arguably) benefiting Lovren, who looks more solid with each passing game.

To be fair, it was a defender's game, and both defensive units distinguished themselves, with Antonio Valencia producing the tackle of the game in the second half to deny Roberto Firmino a certain goal.

Liverpool have kept consecutive clean sheets only once under Klopp (vs. Leicester and Sunderland in December 2015), so hopefully, the Reds can match that this weekend against West Brom.

* Lovren and Matip: Combined value = €39m (CIES). Ibrahimovic hailed as 'amazing' by Laurent Blanc. ^Carra's comments transcribed whilst watching live


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