Manchester United vs Liverpool result: Player ratings as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side progress in FA Cup

Man United 3-2 Liverpool: Salah netted either side of Greenwood and Rashford’s goals before Fernandes won it with a free-kick

Karl Matchett
Sunday 24 January 2021 18:57 GMT
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(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-2 in a topsy-turvy FA Cup fourth-round clash on Sunday.

The Reds started in determined mood after poor recent results and were rewarded with a goal inside the opening 20 minutes, Mohamed Salah clipping home after Roberto Firmino’s through-pass. The lead didn’t last long though, as a searching long ball found Mason Greenwood running through to level.

A mistake from Rhys Williams then let Marcus Rashford in to put United ahead straight after the restart, but the away side woke up again and went close with James Milner skying a close-range effort before Salah buried a second.

READ MORE: Premier League fixtures and table - all matches by date and kick-off time

Both teams made attacking subs in search of the win and United’s had the impact, Bruno Fernandes firing a free-kick into the far corner. Here are the player ratings from Old Trafford.

Manchester United

Dean Henderson - 6. Made one bock from Salah but not exactly a performance to show he should displace David de Gea.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 6. Hit-and-miss. Didn’t get forward too much, stopped Jones quite a few times earlier on but struggled with Mane.

Victor Lindelof - 5. Didn’t really get tight to Firmino and couldn’t cut out several passes which went either side of him.

Harry Maguire - 5. Like Lindelof, struggled to keep tabs on the forwards. Outsmarted by Milner for Salah’s second.

Luke Shaw - 8. Another very impressive showing. Defensively solid, aggressive going forward, good end product with his delivery.

Scott McTominay - 6. Caught in possession more than once. Did track back against the runners to good effect.

Paul Pogba - 7. Showed great ability to beat a couple of players at once in both halves of the pitch. Hard-working defensively.

Mason Greenwood - 7. Let an early opening or two pass him by, but then showed good composure for the leveller. Occasionally a danger on the break.

Donny van de Beek - 5. On the periphery of the game in the first half. Nothing improved after the break and subbed shortly after the hour mark.

Marcus Rashford - 8. Looked far more comfortable back out on the left. Fine pass for the equaliser, equally good finish for the second.

Edinson Cavani - 7. Not as involved inside the penalty box on this occasion for most of the game, but no less important for that.

Liverpool

Alisson Becker - 5. One or two issues with his passing out and beaten three times into the far corners.

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6. Better than some recent showings but still looks well below his usual level.

Rhys Williams - 4. Missed several attempted tackles and struggled with United’s pace. Horrid error for the Rashford goal. Bit of a nightmare overall.

Fabinho - 6. Excellent in some moments of recovery and clearances, but beaten for pace and committed fouls on plenty of other occasions.

Andy Robertson - 6. Some very good low crosses at one end but caught at the other for United’s first-half goal.

Thiago - 6. Got his team on the front foot for spells, but his most creative attempted work fell short.

Gini Wijnaldum - 6. Did plenty of good work but lost out in the battle with Pogba several times. Subbed after an hour.

James Milner - 6. Defensively a little suspect with the runners in behind him, 

Curtis Jones - 7. Some neat moments on the ball, though did fade out of the game at times.

Mohamed Salah - 8. A tremendous pair of finishes to put his team ahead and then draw them level.

Roberto Firmino - 8. Suited him to have another forward closer to him in the middle - created both Salah’s goals and several other openings.

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