{"id":208540,"date":"2025-10-18T09:41:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T09:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/208540\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T09:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T09:41:09","slug":"liverpool-vs-man-utd-six-key-subplots-that-could-decide-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/208540\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool vs Man Utd: Six Key Subplots That Could Decide the Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where will this
\nmeeting of classic Premier
\nLeague<\/a> rivals be decided? We take a look at six key areas that
\ncould prove crucial when Liverpool host Manchester United on Sunday
\nat Anfield.<\/p>\n

Only weeks ago, few would have questioned that Liverpool<\/a>
\nwill be overwhelming favourites to beat Manchester
\nUnited<\/a> when they meet at Anfield on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The defending Premier League champions were riding high after
\nfive wins from five, while United had won two, lost two and drawn
\none. They were already eight points behind their old rivals.<\/p>\n

However, Arne Slot\u2019s men then lost at Crystal Palace and Chelsea
\neither side of a Champions League defeat at Galatasaray, losing top
\nspot in the league to Arsenal and severely lessening the aura
\naround them.<\/p>\n

All of those losses were on the road, though, so they\u2019ll be
\npleased to return to Anfield this weekend. And while Ruben Amorim\u2019s
\nside come into this game off the back of a win and a clean sheet
\nagainst Sunderland, they are winless in their last eight Premier
\nLeague away games (D2 L6). They last went longer without a league
\nwin on the road in September 1989 under Alex Ferguson (11).<\/p>\n

Liverpool are still heavy favourites with the Opta
\nsupercomputer, but just where will this game be won and lost? We
\nhave looked at six key subplots to the contest that could determine
\nwho comes away with the points.<\/p>\n

Is This
\nthe Game for Salah to Come Alive?<\/p>\n

Mohamed
\nSalah<\/a> hasn\u2019t been himself this season. Perhaps it\u2019s a sign of
\ndecline due to his age. Perhaps it\u2019s because he no longer has Trent
\nAlexander-Arnold fizzing perfect balls in behind for him. There\u2019s
\nalso every chance he\u2019s quite understandably been seriously affected
\nby the sudden and tragic loss of friend and teammate Diogo Joto
\nover the summer.<\/p>\n

\nExplaining Salah\u2019s Struggles\n<\/p>\n

Whatever the reason or reasons for his below-par performances,
\nmost of us would agree that it would be no surprise to see Salah
\nback to his best before long. It was only last season he broke the
\nPremier League record for goal involvements in a 38-game Premier
\nLeague season.<\/p>\n

What better occasion and what better opponent, then, for the
\nEgyptian to rediscover his goalscoring touch, than Sunday\u2019s game
\nagainst Manchester United?<\/p>\n

Salah has more goals (13) and more goal involvements (19)
\nagainst United than any other player in Premier League history. If
\nhe is to get one more before he leaves England, he\u2019ll become only
\nthe sixth player to manage 20+ goal involvements against a single
\nopponent in the history of the competition.<\/p>\n

\"Mohamed<\/p>\n

United have conceded nine goals in four away games in all
\ncompetitions this season. In the Premier League, only Burnley and
\nWest Ham have allowed their opponents more non-penalty expected
\ngoals than them (10.1 xG). The average xG value of each shot they
\nhave faced is higher (0.16 xG) than any other team in the
\ndivision.<\/p>\n

So, Salah loves playing United, who
\nconcede goals, give up lots of chances, and give up good chances,
\ntoo. It\u2019s written in the stars, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Can United Find Their Shooting
\nBoots?<\/p>\n

Man Utd do concede chances, but Amorim\u2019s men are also creating
\nchances this season.<\/p>\n

They have attempted more shots than any other team in the
\nPremier League after seven games in 2025-26 (110), and have the
\nhighest expected goals (xG) total (14.1).<\/p>\n

However, United have only scored nine goals, an underperformance
\nof 5.06 xG, the worst in Europe\u2019s top five leagues. They have also
\nbenefitted from two own goals, which do not carry an xG value, so
\ntechnically they are underperforming with their shots by 7.06
\nxG.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

That follows on from last season, when their underperformance of
\n9.4 (44 goals from 53.4 xG) was the second highest in the
\ndivision.<\/p>\n

They have scored in each of their last three Premier League
\ngames, though, while the lowest xG they have amassed in a single
\ngame this season has been 1.52 (vs both Arsenal and Manchester
\nCity).<\/p>\n

You would therefore fancy they will get chances at Anfield,
\nespecially against a Liverpool side that have looked fairly open at
\nthe back this season.<\/p>\n

They appeared especially vulnerable on home soil in their first
\ngame against Bournemouth, while they largely had goalkeepers
\nAlisson<\/a>
\nand
\nGiorgi Mamardashvili<\/a> to thank for not conceding more than they
\ndid in recent defeats to Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea.<\/p>\n

That said, only three teams in the Premier League have faced
\nfewer shots them them (71), while only four have a lower xG against
\nthan their 7.9. Maybe Liverpool\u2019s defence isn\u2019t as wobbly as some
\nhave said, but the uncertainty about who will play right-back (more
\non that to come), the up-and-down form of Ibrahima
\nKonat\u00e9<\/a>, having a new left-back still settling in Milos
\nKerkez<\/a> and being without the injured Alisson in goal will all
\ngive the visitors hope they can get at the champions.<\/p>\n

Many will expect the hosts to dominate much of the game, but
\nshould United carve out chances as they have been recently, their
\nsuccess will inevitably be dependent on better finishing than we
\nhave seen from them so far.<\/p>\n

Stay
\nUntil the End!<\/p>\n

Late goals and late winners have been a prominent feature of the
\nPremier League in 2025-26. In 70 games so far, there have been 24
\ngoals scored in the 90th minute or later, and 10 of those have been
\nmatch-winners. Both are being scored at a higher rate than any
\nother season in Premier League history.<\/p>\n

\nLate, Late Shows\n<\/p>\n

Of those 90th-minute goals, seven \u2013 or 25% \u2013 have come in games
\ninvolving Liverpool or United. Of the 90th-minute winners, five \u2013
\nor 50% \u2013 have involved one of these teams. Liverpool have also
\nscored winners in the 83rd and 88th minutes.<\/p>\n

Without 90th-minute goals, Liverpool would have drawn four
\nmatches this season rather than none, while United would drop down
\nto 13th in the table. These teams know better than anyone else just
\nhow important it is to keep playing until the final whistle, and
\nhow costly a late, tired lapse of concentration can prove.<\/p>\n

Liverpool and United have rarely been so far apart in their
\nrespective outlooks. It\u2019s not common for them to be separated by
\neight positions in the table, and rarer still that one would have
\njust won the league while the other finished as low as 15th. There
\nmight be good reason to expect Liverpool, far the superior of the
\ntwo sides right now, to walk this game. They battered their rivals
\n7-0 in this fixture in 2023 and 4-0 a year earlier, and have the
\nattacking quality to inflict that kind of damage on United
\nagain.<\/p>\n

But the fact that both teams have seen winners scored late on so
\nfrequently this season shows something else: how tight their
\nmatches have been going into the final minutes. Maybe this
\nweekend\u2019s game is set up to be a tight affair, as it was in the
\nlast two seasons when they drew at Anfield (0-0 in 2023-24 and 2-2
\nin 2024-25).<\/p>\n

Liverpool haven\u2019t been playing at their full potential this
\nseason. (They\u2019ve been relying on lots of late goals, remember!) And
\nwhile United are down in 10th, they have shown a few shoots of life
\nthat should give cause for hope against the reigning champions and
\ntheir fiercest rivals. They have it in them to keep this one in the
\nbalance until late on.<\/p>\n

In other words, if you\u2019re watching this game, watch until the
\nvery end. Something major might happen late in the day.<\/p>\n

Can
\nWirtz Make Use of Midfield Space?<\/p>\n

There were huge expectations when Liverpool signed Florian
\nWirtz<\/a> from Bayer Leverkusen for a nine-figure fee over the
\nsummer.<\/p>\n

The German has shown flashes of his undoubted ability, but has
\nnot exactly had a fast start to life in England. Wirtz is yet to
\nrecord a goal or assist in seven Premier League appearances,
\ndespite having nine shots and creating 11 chances \u2013 his 20 combined
\nshots and chances created are the most of any player yet to score
\nor assist in the competition this season.<\/p>\n

His only goal involvement in 10 games in all competitions came
\nin the Community Shield against Crystal Palace when he assisted
\nfellow debutant Hugo
\nEkitik\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the problems the 22-year-old has faced has been getting
\nused to the pace of the Premier League and having less time on the
\nball or room to work in. However, against a Manchester United side
\nthat so often leaves chasms of space down the middle, Wirtz could
\nfinally have the conditions to thrive.<\/p>\n

With a first-choice midfield pair of Casemiro<\/a>
\nand Bruno
\nFernandes<\/a>, Amorim has plenty of experience and goal threat, but
\nUnited rarely look solid in the middle out of possession when they
\nare paired together. The Brazilian\u2019s legs aren\u2019t what they used to
\nbe, while Fernandes is always keen to get forward and be on the
\nfront foot, often leaving Casemiro to cover a lot of ground by
\nhimself.<\/p>\n

Also, as you can see from the zones of control graphic below,
\nUnited have not been \u2018controlling\u2019 possession down the right side
\nof their own half this season, which is an area Wirtz often likes
\nto drift out to. Should they all start, how the German, Cody
\nGakpo<\/a> and Kerkez link up could go some way to deciding how much
\njoy Liverpool have on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

It is an area Liverpool have controlled in the main this season,
\ntoo.<\/p>\n

\"Liverpool<\/p>\n

Former Reds boss J\u00fcrgen\u00a0Klopp recently said of Wirtz to
\nGerman outlet n-tv: \u201cHis quality is so outstanding. The
\ndiscussions are a bit exaggerated.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Wirtz is] a once-in-a-century talent, and at some point he\u2019ll
\nshow that in every game again, just as he did at Leverkusen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wirtz has also created the most chances of any Premier League
\nplayer in all competitions this season (22), so it is surely just a
\nmatter of time before he makes an impact, and Sunday would be the
\nperfect time to start.<\/p>\n

Can
\nUnited Exploit Liverpool\u2019s Weak Right?<\/p>\n

When Liverpool\u2019s right-back was Trent Alexander-Arnold, there
\nwas a widely held view that he let the team down too often
\ndefensively. Too frequently, he was out of position, or an opponent
\nwent past him too easily, rendering his side vulnerable down his
\nside of the pitch.<\/p>\n

The one upside, then, to Alexander-Arnold leaving and Liverpool
\nlosing out on the immense creative contributions he made with the
\nball was that they could upgrade from a defensive point of view. So
\nfar, however, that hasn\u2019t proved to be the case.<\/p>\n

They might have upgraded with
\nJeremie Frimpong<\/a>, but it\u2019s too early to judge him properly. His
\ndebut Premier League season is only seven games old and he\u2019s missed
\na handful of them already with a hamstring injury. He could one day
\nbe the perfect right-back.<\/p>\n

But even if Frimpong is fit enough to face United, he isn\u2019t yet
\nup to speed in the Premier League, and his performances to date
\nalong with those of the Conor
\nBradley<\/a> and
\nDominik Szoboszlai<\/a> \u2013 the others who have played at right-back
\nthis season \u2013 don\u2019t make it look much like any of Liverpool\u2019s
\noptions will be any more reliable defensively than
\nAlexander-Arnold.<\/p>\n

In Premier League games this season, 43.5% of the chances
\nLiverpool\u2019s opponents have created have come down their right
\nflank, compared to just 28.2% on the opposite flank. There\u2019s still
\na weakness there that opponents are looking to exploit.<\/p>\n

\"Liverpool<\/p>\n

Perhaps these numbers are understandable. Liverpool are going
\nthrough a period of transition after so many changes over the
\nsummer, and they have had no consistency in the right-back position
\nof late<\/p>\n

But excusable or not, there is a chink in Liverpool\u2019s armour
\nthere for United to make the most of.<\/p>\n

Will
\nStrikers Justify Enormous Fees?<\/p>\n

Both clubs spent big in the summer, including on central
\nstrikers. Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 started well for Liverpool, but both
\n
\nAlexander Isak<\/a> and Benjamin
\nSesko<\/a> had slow starts for various reasons.<\/p>\n


\nThey are among the new striker signings we analysed and graded on
\ntheir starts to the campaign.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ekitik\u00e9 has five goals and an assist in 10 games (seven starts)
\nfrom 5.22 xG. No other player from either team has more than three
\ngoals. A silly red card in the EFL Cup against Southampton aside,
\nthe France international has impressed in his first few months at
\nAnfield.<\/p>\n

Isak\u2019s signing was a protracted one to say the least, which
\nplayed a role in what has been an underwhelming beginning on
\nMerseyside. The Swede\u2019s pre-season was almost entirely disrupted as
\nhe sought a move away from Newcastle United, and though he has
\nplayed six times for his new team, Isak has amassed just 312
\nminutes on the pitch as he tries to find full fitness. He has just
\none goal and one assist so far.<\/p>\n

Sesko also had a turbulent summer, unsure if he was joining
\nArsenal, Newcastle or Man Utd, ultimately ending up at Old
\nTrafford. The big Slovenian didn\u2019t score in any of his first six
\nappearances for United, though only three were starts, but he has
\nfound the net in each of his last two games, against Brentford and
\nSunderland. Sesko\u2019s two goals from eight games (five starts) have
\ncome from 2.3 xG.<\/p>\n

\"Ekitike<\/p>\n

There is a question mark as to whether Ekitik\u00e9 or Isak will
\nstart for the hosts on Sunday, while the assumption is Sesko will
\nfor the visitors. On such an occasion, the stage is set for one of
\nthem to be the match-winner and give their debut season a real
\nboost.<\/p>\n

Ekitik\u00e9 has never played against United before, while Isak has
\nscored just once in eight games against the Red Devils in his
\ncareer, though that goal did come last season in Newcastle\u2019s 2-0
\nwin at Old Trafford in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

Sesko has played just one competitive fixture against Liverpool,
\nin the Champions League with RB Leipzig last season, but didn\u2019t
\nfind the net in a 1-0 defeat.<\/p>\n

With an estimated combined transfer value of around \u00a3280
\nmillion, you would hope at least one of them will step up when
\nthese two huge clubs meet on Sunday.<\/p>\n


\n\"Premier<\/a><\/p>\n

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