It’s fair to say Manchester United’s 0-0 draw away at Liverpool on Sunday won’t live long in the memory.
Fans excitedly tuned in to the top-of-the-table clash between the fierce rivals but were left underwhelmed by the action at Anfield.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between, and most of the world-class players on display failed to produce the goods.
The result was a disappointing stalemate. Jurgen Klopp took a post-match dig at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics but United remain top of the Premier League table for the time being.
In Solskjaer’s mind, a 0-0 draw away at Anfield - where Liverpool haven’t lost a single league game since April 2017 - was far from a bad result.
This current Liverpool team isn’t at the same extraordinary level of last season, but they’re still going to be there or thereabouts in the title race come the end of the season.
Any opposition players wondering how to cope with Liverpool’s famous pressing tactics, though, should watch the following clips of Scott McTominay from Sunday’s game.
A clip titled ‘Is there any point pressing Scott McTominay?’ shows the £22.5 million-rated midfielder expertly evading Liverpool’s press following a goal-kick.
After receiving a difficult pass from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, McTominay produced two exquisite passes to spin his marker before spraying a beautifully-weighted pass to the left flank.
Watch it here…
That’s class.
Despite criticism from some ‘fans’ on social media in recent weeks, McTominay continues to improve and fully deserves his place in United’s starting line-up.
This wasn’t the only time during the 90 minutes that McTominay successfully beat Liverpool’s press.
Towards the end of the match, McTominay produced another excellent touch under pressure before driving 30 yards up the pitch and winning a free-kick for his side.
Watch that one here...
Little moments like these are absolutely invaluable in the eyes of coaches. Had McTominay not been as switched on, or as technically proficient, United would have been in trouble on both occasions.