Liverpool and Manchester United played out a second successive 0-0 draw for the first time in their history.

Jose Mourinho’s side arrived at Anfield looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season as the Reds looked to lift the mood from one win in their last seven.

Joel Matip would enjoy the best chance to open the scoring for the hosts but David de Gea superbly denied his side-footed effort with an outstretched leg.

Indeed, it proved to be the goalkeepers that settled affairs as Simon Mignolet denied Romelu Lukaku at the other end to ensure the game remained goalless.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Salah can make up for Mane absence

 

There’s no escaping the fact that Mohamed Salah was brought to Liverpool this summer as an alternative to Sadio Mane rather than his supplement.

The Senegal winger has already established himself as a key man at Anfield and without him, the Reds are nowhere near their free-scoring best.

That was something they discovered painfully last season and it is hoped Salah could soften the blow should Mane miss out again at any point this season.

So far, it looks like the Egypt winger will succeed in that task.

Against United he was Liverpool’s most dangerous player, tormenting the opposition defence, particularly Matteo Darmian, time and time again.

It will take some time for Salah to become as vital as Mane no doubt, but he’s fast on the way to reaching that level.

Reds handed another Mourinho lesson

 

Make no mistake, Liverpool were the better team in this game.

They dominated possession, created the most chances and had the vast majority of the attacking impetus.

The problem is, they did very little with it. Aside from a stunning save from David de Gea to deny Joel Matip, the United goal was rarely threatened.

And that was all to do with how Jose Mourinho set up his team.

The Portuguese boss came to Anfield last season and shut up shop to earn a point and repeated that trick once more.

Against a deep-lying defence with limited space between the lines, Liverpool were reduced to half chances at best and that was just how Mourinho wanted it.

Until Jurgen Klopp can find a way to combat managers who set up their teams in this manner, the frustration will continue for Liverpool.

What happened to clinical finishing?

 

While Mourinho’s tactics may have successfully nullified Liverpool, there is no denying the hosts are struggling up front.

On their day, the Reds front line is up there with the best but at this moment in time, their cutting edge is a blunt one.

In this game they enjoyed 18 shots in total but only put five of them on target and only one of those could be deemed a real, clear-cut opportunity.

Liverpool have now managed just two goals in their last three games despite enjoying near domination in those fixtures.

The offence needs to step up to get their side out of their current slump.

Gomez is back on track

 

It’s testament to how highly rated Joe Gomez is at Anfield that he has been fast-tracked back into the first team following his lengthy injury spell.

The faith being shown in him by Jurgen Klopp is admirable and the youngster is yet to do anything to suggest that it is not fully deserved.

Up against Anthony Martial in this game he was superb, shepherding the in-form Frenchman into obscurity before doing a similar job on Marcus Rashford.

The 20-year-old was comfortably Liverpool’s best player and, indeed, the man of the match in a game that would overwhelm other players in his age group.

If he stays fit, Nathaniel Clyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold have a lot of work to do to remove him from that right back spot.