Liverpool's No-Sense Victory at Old Trafford

MANCHESTER, MONDAY — The league leaders Liverpool emerged as winners despite not playing at Old Trafford. Manchester United and Arsenal, who competed, both "lost" from their respective perspectives. With rival teams failing to secure victories, Liverpool was further blessed by title contenders dropping points.

MU and Arsenal shared points after a 1-1 draw in a dramatic clash at Old Trafford on Monday (10/3/2025) early morning WIB. Two stunning goals, one each from MU midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, resulted in the match ending without a winner.

Liverpool is the happiest party with that result. They are increasingly solid at the top of the English Premier League standings, leading by 15 points over second-place Arsenal. Although Arsenal has played one game fewer, the gap is already too wide with nine weeks remaining. It is difficult to envision Liverpool not becoming champions at the end of the season.

"I would say now, Arsenal are better off concentrating on securing the top four. Liverpool are too far behind. They've only lost once all season. The title race is over," former Arsenal player Paul Merson told Sky Sports.

United, regardless of the title race, should be most sorry for the draw. They enjoyed the chaos at the end of the match and had several golden opportunities. One of them was Fernandes' shot which was thwarted by visiting goalkeeper David Raya in injury time.

Raya redeemed himself at the end of the first half, when he was helpless against a free kick from Fernandes. The goalkeeper made three brilliant saves in the second half to keep Arsenal alive. Meanwhile, the home team led until the 74th minute, before Rice eventually equalized.

The strategy of MU Head Coach Ruben Amorin is very clear. They mostly waited in their own half to lure the opponents. "If you look at our chances, we should have won. We tried to counterattack as much as possible. That was our plan," said midfielder Christian Eriksen.

If likened to a music concert, the match was akin to being titled "a performance of two genres." Like a classical music concert, the duel was very calm in the first half, with Arsenal dominating ball possession. MU played with great discipline, only striking back when they earned a free kick right in front of the penalty box.

The show suddenly turned into a heavy metal concert in the second half. Arsenal, who were starting to get frustrated by the opponent's low defensive block with a 5-4-1 formation, made various speculative attempts. Crosses and long-range shots were made. As a result, MU got more counter-attack momentum.

Especially, after the score was equal again, Rice and his colleagues were more ambitious to steal three full points. As a result, they were too hasty and lost the structure of the attack. MU took advantage of that with the speed of winger Alejandro Garnacho and the help of full-back Noussair Mazraoui.

According to Amorim, Fernandes' goal before half-time successfully changed the momentum of the match. Fernandes' attempt in first-half injury time was MU's first shot on target. "It helps a lot when you score first and don't fall behind. You can feel the energy in the stadium," he said.

For Arteta, his team asked for their own trouble with unnecessary carelessness. One of them was giving away a free kick that seemed to fall from the sky to Fernandes. "The way we conceded (chance) in some moments is unacceptable. We opened the door to losing the game," he said.

Arsenal, fresh from beating PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the Champions League in midweek, were actually far ahead. That was evident from their dominance in the first 45 minutes. They also had 68.2 percent of the ball. The problem was, that possession meant little because of the lack of creativity in the final third.

In-form 18-year-old winger Ethan Nwaneri was unable to thrive as he was closely guarded by full-back Diogo Dalot. In-form captain Martin Odegaard could only create in the middle of the pitch. Odegaard found himself stuck when trying to get into the penalty box.

The discipline of MU players deserves appreciation. Fernandes and his colleagues always return to defense as quickly as possible after losing the ball. Veteran midfielder Casemiro also plays a vital role as a "butcher" in the middle line. Casemiro's role can be seen from the success of 9 out of 10 attempted tackles.

Mazraoui's role is also very crucial. In addition to guarding the wing, Leandro Trossard's operating area, he is also very dynamic in helping the attack. Fernandes' goal started from Mazraoui's extra effort in an aerial duel in Arsenal's defense. Even though he was fasting and had just broken his fast in the middle of the match, he remained energetic. (AP/REUTERS)