Manchester United went five points clear of Liverpool in the league table after beating them 2-1 at Old Trafford in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.Jurgen Klopp’s side came into the clash high of confidence with the free-scoring Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah leading the line.But United’s defence blunted the trio to prevent them from created any real chances, with Eric Bailly’s own-goal the only time David de Gea was beaten.Jose Mourinho’s back-four of Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Bailly and Ashley Young all provided superb performances to help preserve the 2-0 lead Marcus Rashford had given them in the first-half.And it’s certainly not an easy task to keep Salah quiet this season.The Egyptian has scored 32 goals in all competitions this season and is currently tied with Harry Kane in the Premier League goalscoring charts.But United kept him very quiet indeed - and Chris Smalling played a big part in that.
In fact, there was one moment in the second-half that summed up United’s approach against Salah.Smalling had tackled Salah with the ball going out for a Liverpool throw. But the defender made a point of throwing the former Roma player to the floor - much to the delight of the home fans.
WATCH: SMALLING DEALS WITH SALAH
Check it out:
MAN UTD FANS SAY IT WAS THE MOMENT OF THE MATCH
And United fans loved it on social media - even claiming it was the best moment of the match:
SMALLING ON THE LIVERPOOL RIVALRY
Smalling certainly looked up for the game and, before the game, he claimed that the rivalry between United and Liverpool this season was greater than ever before.
“I think there’s always that rivalry, but even more this year,” he told MUTV. “We’re a lot closer in the table than we’ve probably been for a while. The fact that we’re so close gives it an added intensity.
“I think it is still the one for most fans, be it young or old, because that rivalry of battling for titles has been there for so long. When you meet fans in the street and in shops, everything is just heightened because of the intensity and the rivalry."