Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice from the bench as Liverpool beat arch-rivals Manchester United 3-1 on Sunday afternoon to return to the top of the Premier League.
The £12m summer signing scored from two deflected shots in the final quarter of the game to take his side above champions Manchester City at the summit.
United registered just two real attempts all match, one of which came via Jesse Lingard to level up the contest after Sadio Mane had fired the hosts in front.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield. This is arguably still the standout fixture in the English fixture list, with the North-West rivals boasting 83 titles between them, though it has become a tale of contrasting fortunes over the past few decades. It is now the Reds who are on the top, whereas opponents United appear to be a fading force under Jose Mourinho.
Liverpool climbed to the top of the table last weekend by beating Bournemouth on the same day that Manchester City lost to Chelsea, but the champions reclaimed their place at the summit on Saturday thanks to a 3-1 victory over Everton. Jurgen Klopp's men will therefore be targeting all three points from this high-profile fixture, while for United a point would surely be considered a good return on the back of a poor start to the campaign.
LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Alisson; Clyne, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita; Mane, Firmino, Salah
SUBS: Mignolet, Moreno, Camacho, Henderson, Lallana, Shaqiri, Sturridge
Starting with a look at the home team, Klopp has made four changes from the 1-0 win over Napoli here in midweek. As expected, the German has been forced into a defensive reshuffle as his injury list at the back is beginning to mount. Joel Matip fractured his collarbone in that crucial Champions League tie and is facing six weeks out, joining Joe Gomez on the sidelines, so in comes Dejan Lovren alongside Virgil van Dijk.
There is also an enforced change at right-back, as Trent Alexander-Arnold has failed to shake off a knock and James Milner - who slotted into the backline against Bournemouth - is also carrying a minor injury that keeps him out of the squad entirely. That means a first Premier League start of the campaign for Nathaniel Clyne, who has fallen massively down the pecking order since picking up an injury last season. A huge afternoon for the Englishman, who had been expected to go out on loan next month.
The other two changes come in central midfield, with Klopp rotating by bringing in Fabinho and Naby Keita. The summer signings were brought off the bench late on against Napoli and should therefore be fully rested for this clash, taking over from skipper Jordan Henderson and the injured Milner. Georginio Wijnaldum retains his place alongside them, and there is no surprise to see Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane get the nod in an unchanged frontline.
MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Lindelof; Dalot, Lingard, Matic, Herrera, Young; Rashford, Lukaku
SUBS: Romero, Bailly, Valencia, Fellaini, Pogba, Mata, Martial
Mourinho was always likely to heavily rotate between the games with Valencia and Liverpool, and that proves to be the case as Romelu Lukaku is the only player to retain his place in the side from the loss at the Mestalla. Ten changes in all from that midweek match in Spain, then, though there are just a couple of alterations from the Red Devils' most recent league outing - the 4-1 win over Fulham eight days ago.
Victor Lindelof and Matteo Darmian replace Phil Jones and Juan Mata from the side that started against Fulham, meaning a switch in formation. I have this down as a five-man backline, which would see fit-again Lindelof partner Chris Smalling and the versatile Matteo Darmian across the back, with Diogo Dalot and Ashley Young operating down the flanks. Mourinho promised an attacking XI - well that will largely depending on the starting positions of Dalot and Young. A three-man defence or five?
Mourinho made life a little easier for reporters by revealing a few days ago that Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard would both start today, and there is no great surprise to see Lukaku used through the middle. The Belgian striker is no doubt a shadow of his former self, though he does have two goals in his last four matches - six in 20 for the season - and, more tellingly, Alexis Sanchez is a long-term absentee and Anthony Martial is not fully fit.
Liverpool show four changes from their midweek win over Napoli, including a first Premier League start of the season for Nathaniel Clyne at right-back. Jurgen Klopp has a number of injury concerns at the back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and makeshift full-back James Milner all missing out today. As for Manchester United, it is two changes from their win against Fulham a week ago, likely meaning a switch in formation.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This will be the 201st meeting between these rival clubs in all competitions, with Liverpool winning 65 of those and tasting defeat on 80 occasions. Manchester United won the most recent encounter 2-1 at Old Trafford in March and now have the chance to make it back-to-back victories in this fixture for the first time in nearly three years when winning four in a row.
Liverpool have failed to win any of the last eight encounters between these sides overall, including a couple of goalless draws in succession here. Only once before have the sides played out three successive draws at Anfield - coming back in 1921 - while the Reds have not been on a worse run without a win against the Red Devils since April 1988. They come into this match as strong favourites, with the bookies expecting that run to come to an end this afternoon.
RESULTS! The full-time whistle has just gone in the two other Premier League games taking place today. Chelsea have held on to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, earning the points through goals from Pedro and Eden Hazard in the first half, but there was a shock in the other match that took place down the south coast at St Mary's Stadium. Arsenal have been beaten 3-2 by strugglers Southampton in a thrilling game, which is good news for Man United.
Taking those early kickoffs into account, Man United are sixth in the table and could move to within five points of Arsenal above them with a win today, though Chelsea are now 11 points better off in fourth. For Liverpool the picture remains the same - they are two points adrift of leaders Manchester City with this game in hand to play after making their best-ever start to a season. In fact, only six other sides have ever made a better start after 16 matches.
Not since 1990 have Liverpool enjoyed a bigger points margin on United heading into a league match, with the gap standing at 16 points ahead of kickoff. The Reds have dropped points just three times this season and are now the last unbeaten side standing following Man City's defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Klopp's men have since slipped to second, but the title is ultimately in their hands - they just have to live with that pressure for another five months.
This is not the first time that Liverpool have mounted a title challenge, of course, most notably coming close in 2014 when fading away in the final few matches of the season. Henderson, benched today, admitted this week that his side's failure to hold off Man City and finish top that year is something that still lives with him. As a rare survivor from that campaign, the skipper will not want to experience that feeling again.
The Reds appear to be made of far sterner stuff this time around, though, with goalkeeper Alisson Becker and centre-back Van Dijk making a huge difference since joining earlier in the year. The stats tell the full story, in fact - just six goals have been conceded in the Premier League this season, leaving Liverpool well on course to break the record set by Chelsea 13 years ago. Going further back, they have not conceded more than once in a game in any of their last 19 league outings.
You have to go back to the 1970s to find the last time Liverpool were this strong, statistically speaking, and at the other end of the field they are still scoring at an impressive rate. The goalscoring figures may be down on this stage last season, but Salah, Firmino and Mane, as well as the likes of Shaqiri and Milner, are all chipping in with goals to ensure that the perfect balance has been found.
Salah scored a hat-trick against Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League to take him to 13 goals for the season, 10 of those coming in the top flight. The Egyptian forward is never going to match his tally from 2017-18 when seemingly setting a new record every week, but he is still proving vitally important to the Reds, having opened the scoring in seven of their matches and scored the winner in six of them - league-high tallies in both regards.
Klopp has also become more adaptable by switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation at times, depending on the opponents, though his favoured 4-3-3 will be used today. Mane, Firmino and Salah remain arguably the most feared triumvirate on the continent, though they have yet to score or assist a goal between them in a league game against Manchester United in close to a combined 1,000 minutes. Will that poor record come to an end over the next couple of hours?
Liverpool's 4-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend was arguably the first time that they have truly swept away their opponents since beating Southampton 3-0 at the end of September, and they followed that up with a tight and tense 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League five days ago. Salah scored what proved to be the winner in the first half, with the Reds doing just about enough to progress through to the last 16 of the Champions League. It seems nothing can go wrong for them at the moment!
In stark contrast to their opponents, there is not a great deal for United supporters to be excited about right now. The Red Devils are heading the opposite way under Mourinho, who has reportedly lost 90% of the dressing room and could be on his way out before the season is out. That would be a huge call on the owners' behalf, but the way things are going - and the leaks coming out of Old Trafford - suggest that this is not going to end well.
United have won just one of their last five league matches, though that did come in their most recent outing - a 4-1 triumph against bottom of the table Fulham last weekend ending their run of four games without victory. It was a case of one step forward and two steps back, though, as Mourinho's men produced yet another poor performance in going down 2-1 to Valencia in midweek. That result would prove costly, as they missed out on the chance to leapfrog Juventus at the top of their Champions League group.
That sets up what will likely be a tricky last-16 tie in Europe two months from now, but at least United are through to the knockout stages - the bare minimum Mourinho had to achieve. Focus is now on domestic matters, with a gruelling run of fixtures to come over the next few weeks - none tougher than this trip to Premier League pacesetters Liverpool. Even accounting for the win over Fulham eight days ago, United have taken just six points from the last 15 on offer.
Defeat to Man City was followed up by successive draws against Crystal Palace, Southampton and Arsenal, before overcoming a poor Fulham side. Momentum is proving difficult to come by, though, as highlighted by the loss in Valencia earlier this week, with United failing to win back-to-back matches since the beginning of November. Their scoring stats are down on this stage last season, their defensive stats are down and, as a result, their points tally is substantially down.
United were nine points better off at this stage 12 months ago, kept off the top only be the sizzling form of eventual runaway champions Man City. Mourinho pointed out repeatedly last season that his side were over-performing - something which did not sit right with supporters, who are so used to success - but there can be no excuses with regards to his side's constant below-part displays this time around. United really have gone from one crisis to another in 2018-19.
Twenty-six goals conceded in the Premier League matches their tally from the whole of 2017-18, and they have just two clean sheets with nearly half of the season played - incredibly, only five other sides have a worse defensive record. Not since 1990 have the country's most-successful side lagged this far behind their opponents at Christmas, and you get the sense that only a victory today will help to change the negative vibe around Old Trafford.
DID YOU KNOW? Jose Mourinho can at least fall back on a pretty decent record at Anfield, where he has won half of his eight Premier League matches, giving him the best win percentage among visiting managers with 5+ games played here in the competition. It should be pointed out that the last two meetings here have finished all square, with United defending for their lives throughout both matches.
With kickoff at Anfield now just a couple of minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Jurgen Klopp: "We have to be angry on Sunday and we will be. We fight for our points. We have our own problems and targets. It's one of the games which you sign with your contract - try to do everything you have to win it. It's a big one, and if [former United boss] Sir Alex Ferguson says it's the British 'Clasico' then I am really blessed because I was involved in the German Clasico (Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich). It's a cool game."
Jose Mourinho: "We know that we are going to play against the leader, against a team on a high. But we have our qualities, we have our potential, even with the problems we have and the doubts in terms of team choice, of tactics, approach, philosophy. We have doubts about everything because we don't know who's available but we are going to arrive on Sunday and, with the players we have available, we are going to have a team capable of going there and fight for the victory."
There has been a late alteration to Man United's starting lineup. Chris Smalling has picked up an injury in the warm-up and is replaced in the starting lineup by Eric Bailly. Phil Jones takes a place on the bench.
KICKOFF: What an atmosphere at Anfield! Manchester United, a whopping 16 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table ahead of the busy festive fixtures, get us underway for the 201st meeting between these arch-rivals.
Confirmation that it is a back three for United, even with that late change to their starting lineup. Good play from Salah when charging at the United backline, before laying it off for Firmino, whose shot is blocked behind for a corner.
DISALLOWED GOAL! United defend the corner but are prevented from mounting a counter-attack. A Young free kick from the left goes right the way through and ends up in the back of the net, but Lukaku swung for the ball and was a good couple of yards offside.
A teasing ball towards the back post is helped behind by Matic, who wanted De Gea to come out and gather it. A good feel to this match early on as both sides have started well. The corner is guided wide of the target by Firmino from 12 yards.
SAVE! A good attempt from Firmino, whose well-struck shot forced De Gea into making a save at full-stretch - that was heading for the bottom corner. United respond well, with Rashford getting away a long-range shot which was hit right at Alisson.
Alisson and De Gea have both had a save to make early on, then, with both teams looking to attack when they can. Liverpool have more control of the ball and look lively whenever they attack. Salah and Mane both fail to get a shot away inside the box and Fabinho then blasted inches wide with a deflected effort from outside the area.
SAVE! United's goal is under siege! Salah's shot from the edge of the box is saved by De Gea, who urges his teammates to calm down. Darmian scuffed a clearance behind for a corner, with the United defence looking rattled at the moment.
The tempo of this match is pretty incredible. That is largely thanks to Liverpool swarming forward in numbers when they get on the ball. United have had an opening of their own early on - Rashford seeing a long-range drive kept out by Alisson.
United are being outrun in the middle of the park. The pressure from Liverpool is pretty relentless - surely we will have a goal in this Anfield fixture for the first time in three meetings? The visitors will be keen to slow the tempo down.
STAT! Liverpool recorded seven shots in the opening 14 minutes of the match, five of which were from outside the box. Lukaku has had three touches of the ball, two of those inside his own box.
Man United have got their wish - the tempo of the game has slowed right down. Liverpool have been pretty dominant, but with nearly a quarter of the contest played the teams are starting to cancel each other out.
The visitors are again looking disjointed this afternoon. The ball goes long to Lukaku, who is unable to control it under pressure from Lovren and Robertson. Liverpool, in comparison, look threatening whenever the ball is played forward.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED (SADIO MANE)
What a way to end your eight-game drought without a goal! Mane controls Fabinho's deep pass with his chest and places it under the body of De Gea from six yards, all in one movement. Young stood off, but full credit to Mane for his composure. The Reds finally have a home league goal to celebrate against United!
CLOSE! Diogo Dalot clips the heels of Andrew Robertson to concede a free kick and pick up the game's first yellow card. The ball is worked back into the middle by Firmino, but Lovren fires over the crossbar from a promising position. Not an easy one, but a chance all the same.
Five Premier League games without a goal was the longest Mane had gone in Liverpool colours. That strike will do his confidence the world of good, giving Liverpool a platform to build on. United need to step things up in the remaining hour.
United's backline is incredibly flat and very deep. The result of that is Liverpool are able to sustain their pressure, without the threat of being hit on the counter. These United tactics are not working - not for the fist time this season.
Liverpool win a sixth corner of the first half, but this latest delivery is pretty poor. The Reds lead 1-0 thanks to Mane's well-taken goal 24 minutes in, set up by a deep pass from Fabinho. United have had just one shot of note all afternoon.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (JESSE LINGARD)
He was hailed as the world's best keeper following his late save against Napoli earlier this year, but this was an absolute shocker from Alisson. Lukaku's cross from the left was a straightforward one to catch, only for the Brazilian to let the ball slip out of his grasp. Lingard followed in and helped the loose ball over the line from close range -United are level against the run of play.
Alisson will no want to see that one back. The Brazilian did gather Lukaku's low cross, but the ball then struck his own knee and fell into the path of Lingard to score his first away league goal since New Year's Day. What a game we have on our hands now!
SHOT! Good footwork from Fabinho on the edge of the box, allowing him to tee up Mane for the shot. The effort from 20 yards lacked both power and precision, however, and it was a straightforward stop for De Gea to make down the middle.
YELLOW CARD! Lukaku goes in hard on Keita and earns a yellow card. The ball was there to be won, so you cannot blame the Belgian for diving in, but his foot was up slightly so the booking was right. Not a red for me, though.
Firmino barges into Rashford to halt the United counter. The Brazilian, who lost the ball in the build-up, is lucky to avoid a caution for that. A couple of minutes to go in what has been a gripping first half an Anfield.
United have looked a lot more balanced since scoring against the run of play. Herrera gets a shot away from distance, which took a deflection on its way through, but he perhaps would have been better off sliding in a teammate.
HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED
Referee Martin Atkinson brings an entertaining first half to a close at Anfield. Mane edged the home side in front with his first goal in six Premier League matches 24 minutes in, only for Lingard to level things up for United completely against the run of play. All to play for in the second half!
Not since 1990 had Liverpool enjoyed a bigger points margin on United heading into a league game, and the gulf between the sides was there to see in the opening quarter of the match. After playing out back-to-back goalless draws here, it soon became clear that there would be goals on Merseyside as Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both had efforts kept out in the opening 12 minutes.
Liverpool's attacking play was rewarded a quarter of the way through as Sadio Mane ended his eight-game scoring drought by chesting Fabinho's lofted pass and tucking the ball under David de Gea without the ball touching the ground. Dejan Lovren was then guilty of missing a good opportunity from close range once Firmino worked the ball back into the centre-back's path, and that would prove costly six minutes later when Jesse Lingard snatched an equaliser.
United had an Ashley Young goal correctly ruled out for offside against Romelu Lukaku early in the match, while Marcus Rashford got in a well-struck shot from range, but there was nothing to suggest that Liverpool's goal was under threat. The equaliser was gifted to them by Alisson Becker, though, with the Brazilian failing to keep hold of Lukaku's low cross, spilling the ball into the path of Jesse Lingard to score his first away league goal since New Year's Day.
Mane had a shot kept out from 20 yards after once again being teed up by Fabinho as Liverpool attempted to regain their advantage, but the tempo of the match dropped as the teams went into the break all square. Here is a reminder of both sides' benches as we await the second half.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Moreno, Camacho, Henderson, Lallana, Shaqiri, Sturridge
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero, Bailly, Valencia, Fellaini, Pogba, Mata, Martial
KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway at Anfield, where there is news of a half-time change. Mourinho has brought on Fellaini for Dalot, so we could see a change in formation. Fingers crossed for similar entertainment over the next 45 minutes!
Rashford appeared to run out of room but still somehow pulled the ball back into a dangerous position, where Lukaku should have been waiting. Liverpool counter but the move comes to a disappointing end, as Clyne's delivery is blocked by Young.
Just like the first half, the intensity is very high early in the second period. United are giving as good as they have got in what has been an evenly-matched five minutes or so. A cross into the United box is cleared away by Darmian.
The Red Devils are looking a lot more balanced in the second half thanks to the arrival of Fellaini, helping to plug some gaps in midfield. Herrera lunges in on Salah out on the Liverpool left, getting none of the ball to concede a free kick.
SAVE! Fellaini had a pretty simple ball in behind to release Lingard into space, but he hits it out of play. From the next move, Firmino gets away from a few players with some brilliant footwork and tests De Gea down low with his poked shot.
A stoppage in play now as Bailly landed awkwardly in the box. The Ivorian centre-back is getting some treatment off the pitch and looks as though he will continue. If not it may well be that we see Jones for the final half an hour.
United started this second half pretty well, but all of a sudden Liverpool are finding plenty of gaps again. A similar story to the first half, and on that occasion the pressure finally told when Mane found a way through.
Lovren, perhaps frustrated after seeing his side dominate possession without finding a way through in this second half, sends a shot sailing over the crossbar. The tempo has again dropped, which Mourinho will be very pleased about.
Man United have yet to record a shot of any sort in the second half. The Red Devils are clearly happy to hold onto what they have, having netted from pretty much their only chance of the match. A corner is worked to the back post, where Young is there to clear.
Not a lot happening at the moment. Liverpool are probing away but they have 10 bodies to get through before reaching De Gea. Klopp may well be tempted to turn to his bench for the remaining 25 minutes or so.
SHOT! Following a string of disappointing deliveries, Van Dijk is picked out on the edge of the box. The Dutchman's drive is deflected wide of De Gea's goal. Klopp will be keen to see his side maintain this pressure.
United have finally decided to venture forward! Young sends in a brilliant cross from the left, which Fellaini would have headed in at the back post if not for a vital Robertson clearance. Good defending from the Scottish full-back.
United's best spell of the second half as they manage to keep the ball in the opposition half for a couple of minutes. The Red Devils do not look like scoring, but nor do Liverpool, even if the Reds have bossed possession.
Wijnaldum gets a shot away from 25 yards, but he has a sea of bodies in front of him. The Dutchman would have been happy to see the ball make it as far as De Gea's goal, but it was the easiest of stops for the United keeper to make.
LIVERPOOL SUB! Xherdan Shaqiri is on for Naby Keita as Klopp turns to his bench for the first time today. Both managers now have two changes available to make should they wish.
SAVE! Fabinho with a decent attempt from distance, which had plenty of swerve on it. De Gea not only saved the ball but he also kept a hold of it, showing Alisson how it is done.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (XHERDAN SHAQIRI)
Klopp's gamble pays off as Shaqiri, brought on for Keita three minutes ago, rifles the ball home! Mane created it with his trickery on the left, sending Herrera to the ground and then sending the ball into the middle. De Gea stuck out a leg to deflect the ball away, but Shaqiri was waiting to smash the ball in off the underside of the crossbar. Six United players in the box and nobody was there to stop him.
Almost an instant leveller for United. Lukaku and Lingard exchanged passes, but the latter got under the ball when shooting from 20 yards, sending it sailing over the crossbar. Just 144 seconds between Shaqiri coming on and finding the net.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! Herrera sends in a low cross which was crying out for a visiting player to get on the end of, but Liverpool clear their lines. A second change of the match for United now, as Martial replaces Herrera.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 3-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (XHERDAN SHAQIRI)
Liverpool are heading back to the top of the Premier League table - and it is all thanks to this man Xherdan Shaqiri! The ball is worked back to the substitute just outside the box, and his shot deflects off Bailly and past De Gea. That's five Premier League goals for the season.
Shaqiri, on a hat-trick, tees up Mane who has a shot saved by De Gea. Many will argue that United have got what they deserved today for being overly-defensive. On comes Henderson for Keita as Klopp looks to protect this two-goal lead.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! There will be no Pogba this afternoon, as Mourinho brings on Mata for Lingard in his final roll of the dice. The Red Devils have three minutes, plus added time, to somehow salvage something.
Could this be the end for Mourinho? Probably not, with a number of games to come over the next three weeks, but the Portuguese really is walking on thin ice now. Mourinho got his tactics wrong today and Liverpool will be deserved winners.
Salah shoots into the side-netting and then clips the top of the net with his next effort. Liverpool are cruising towards their 14th league win of the season - one that will take them back top - with United offering little in response.
FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 3-1 MANCHESTER UNITED
Liverpool return to the top of the Premier League, one point above Manchester City, thanks to an inspired substitution by Jurgen Klopp. Xherdan Shaqiri was brought on for the final 20 minutes and took just a couple of minutes to make an impact, before going on to add a second - and the Reds' third - before full time. Manchester United were poor overall, registering just two shots on target all game.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Anfield. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and be sure to stick around as we will have updates from Barcelona's trip to Levante in La Liga in the next hour. Thanks for joining!
