'Walk in the park'. 'Bloodbath'. 'Non-competitive'. Just some of the phrases you might have read in match previews ahead of Sunday's clash between Liverpool and Manchester United. And yet, as Michael Oliver blew the final whistle at Anfield, the two old rivals shook hands with the spoils shared; their 0-0 draw one of the more forgettable meetings between these two teams in their vaunted histories.
For Liverpool, this was a game that was meant to cement their place atop the Premier League table after they had risen to the summit last week. Instead, they now sit second, one point behind leaders Arsenal, who they host next Saturday in what promises to be a Christmas cracker.
For that to come true, though, then the Reds attack will need to sharpen itself. Jurgen Klopp's side have relied upon late goals to get the job done in recent weeks, but their profligacy in front of goal proved costly this time around, with a number of their star forwards and creative midfielders coming up way short of their usual levels.
From the United perspective, though, this was at least some kind of positive response after a week that saw them suffer damaging home defeats to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich. It wasn't a particularly forward-thinking display, and fans will want to see more from Erik ten Hag's team going forward, but from a defensive point of view, they stood up well to Liverpool's much-heralded forward line.
There have been plenty of false-dawns already this season for United, so no one will be getting carried away with a battling point on the road against a superior team, but supporters can at least come up for air after another embarrassing chapter in their recent history.
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