Analysis: Where Liverpool v Man Utd will be won and lost

Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 8.

Team analysis: Liverpool v Manchester United

Manchester United are winless away from home since March, but after watching Liverpool lose three successive matches in all competitions, they might fancy their chances of an upset at Anfield this Sunday.  

What could some of the deciding factors be when these two under-pressure giants collide?

Can the form players deliver? 

Liverpool may have reportedly spent more than £300million on a trio of gifted attackers in the summer to complement star man Mohamed Salah, but it is Cody Gakpo who has been their most effective forward so far this season.  

With Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike still finding their feet, and Salah below par, Arne Slot has leaned on his Dutch left-winger.  

Two goals and two assists make him Liverpool's joint-leading contributor – level with Ekitike and Salah - but when you dig further into the numbers, it's apparent Gakpo is driving the bulk of the team's creativity.  

Gakpo is having more touches inside the opposition box than Salah, who led the Premier League rankings by an incredible 183 in that department last season.  

Gakpo's stats 25/26

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With Gakpo's end product being a standout threat, Man Utd must be careful he does not unlock their defence at Anfield. 

For Man Utd, Bruno Fernandes continues to be their main man.  

While his poor tracking of runners is problematic in a central midfield spot, there is no denying the Portuguese star has a significant impact on the ball.  

No player has created more chances in 2025/26, and he is also the best line breaker in advanced areas. 

Though he's yet to produce an assist and has only scored once in open play, Fernandes has been unlucky not to have more goal involvements.  

As these numbers (below) suggest, Man Utd’s captain is playing well enough to be a major influence in Sunday's match at Anfield.  

Fernandes' stats 25/26

*High-intensity pressure

Will Salah hurt Man Utd again? 

Nobody loves this fixture more than Salah, who has scored in 10 of the last 11 matches between Liverpool and Man Utd in all competitions.

In Premier League terms, the Egyptian has scored the most goals (13) and produced the most goal involvements (19) in matches against Man Utd.

Yet Salah arrives at this fixture out-of-sorts, and far less productive than usual.  

Compared to his average across the past four seasons, he is having 44 per cent fewer touches inside the opposition box per 90 minutes, and 55 per cent fewer shots.  

Liverpool’s star man is also experiencing a 59 per cent reduction in Expected Goals (xG) per 90 minutes, while his goals and assists tally is also 46 per cent lower than it was between 2021/22 and 2024/25.  

Salah's stats per 90, last five seasons

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Why has there been such a downturn? 

Liverpool’s form has not been as strong of course, and there has been a drop-off in their average number of touches inside the attacking third per 90 minutes - from 215 last season to 185 in this campaign.

Yet the more likely issue is a radical change of personnel around Salah.  

Behind him there is a different right-back (Jeremie Frimpong), on his inside there is a new striker (Isak or Ekitike), and at No 10 (Wirtz) there is also another fresh face. 

The chemistry and intuitiveness is just not there yet between Salah and Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz and Frimpong.  

When you study the key passes and assists Salah has received, and compare it to 2024/25, you instantly notice they are picking him out far less often in that right side of the box he enjoys so much.  

Will that change on Sunday afternoon?

Salah's key passes and assists received 24/25 v 25/26

Scroll right to see 25/26

Which runner will have the biggest impact?

In a high-stakes match like this, where both head coaches have potential to cancel one another out with their tactical game plans, an unexpected, untracked run could make all the difference.  

And while Wirtz and Man Utd summer signing Bryan Mbeumo are yet to hit the heights expected for goal output, there is no denying their off-the-ball movement has been first class. Only Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has made more off-the-ball runs than them.

Top three PL players for off-the-ball runs 25/26

From a right-sided No 10 pocket, Mbeumo could give Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez or Andy Robertson plenty of headaches.

No one has made more runs in behind the last line of defence than the Cameroonian, who has been unfortunate not to score more than just a single goal in the league.

Top three PL players for off-the-ball runs in behind 25/26

This brilliant sprint inside Burnley’s left-back from a clever Mason Mount pass (below) is a good example of the move Ruben Amorim’s side may look to replicate at Anfield.

With Mount, Matheus Cunha and Fernandes all available, they have no shortage of players who can pick Mbeumo out with a raking long pass over the top.  

Liverpool’s Wirtz also has fantastic awareness and a willingness to push himself into dangerous areas.  

Chelsea's Fernandez is currently level with the German for the highest number of off-the-ball runs into the final third (87).  

But it is Wirtz’s desire to sprint into space when the ball is behind him that sets him apart.

Top five PL players for off-the-ball runs ahead of the ball 25/26

With Man Utd's central midfield unit caught out more than once in 2025/26 when failing to track a runner, you can be sure Wirtz will try to sprint away from Casemiro or Fernandes whenever a gap appears.  

Wirtz's sensational piece of skill, creating a golden chance for Salah to score at Chelsea with a back heel, came on the back of a 40-yard supporting run (below).

Between them, 46 shots have been attempted after runs made by Mbeumo and Wirtz, so look out for their telling bursts.  

Top five PL players for off-the-ball runs followed by team shot 25/26

Which defence can be trusted most? 

Neither Liverpool or Man Utd have been convincing in their defensive work, so both have problems to solve.  

Six teams have a better non-penalty xG than Slot’s side for example, who worryingly rank joint-10th for Expected Goals on Target (xGOT) conceded, the metric that measures the likelihood of a shot on target resulting in a goal.  

Liverpool’s tally of 8.12 is way ahead of league leaders Arsenal on 3.26.

Liverpool and Man Utd's xGOT conceded 25/26

There is uncertainty over who will line up for them in defensive areas too.  

Alisson, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all missed games during the international break through injury, and Slot is yet to settle on who he prefers in the full-back positions.  

Virgil van Dijk is the only certainty to start at the back for the hosts.  

Man Utd have kept just one clean sheet this season, and like Liverpool, they have made too many errors at the back.  

No team has conceded more goals from individual errors than Amorim's team. 

Both sides have faced six shots caused by their errors – which is on the high side – while they have conceded five goals between them from those mistakes.  

Most errors leading to goals PL 25/26

Making appearances in their first Liverpool v Man Utd clash, new goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Senne Lammens will have to be on their toes at all times.

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