Shots! Shots! Shots! But Liverpool still let United off the hook

Considering 14 different teams have beaten Manchester United this season, you could have been forgiven for presuming Liverpool would finally add their name to the list at the third time of asking. Going into the weekend’s fixtures, much of the talk was about who would blink first as they contest the title with Arsenal and Manchester City, and on Sunday we got our answer. As Crystal Palace and Brighton fell to emphatic defeats against Liverpool’s only challengers, all eyes turned to Old Trafford. Most were left staring in slack-jawed amazement as they peppered the United goal and assorted fans behind it, the number of shots more common at happy hour in a trendy Magaluf nightspot, but somehow only scored two goals. They weren’t enough to secure all three points and, despite United suffering their third consecutive bombardment in eight days, it was Liverpool who needed a penalty to come from behind and rescue a point.

It is only in the future, after it has been examined by some cravat-wearing posh bloke with a jeweller’s eyepiece on Antiques Roadshow, that we’ll learn the precise value of that point, but for now it is the two they left behind that will be preoccupying Liverpool’s players. And while it might have been Jarell Quansah’s misplaced pass with his weaker foot that allowed United to get a foothold in a game that looked to have literally and metaphorically passed them by, one suspects it was the youngster’s vastly more experienced attacking teammates who incurred Jürgen Klopp’s post-match wrath. Perhaps mindful of the negative publicity generated by his efforts to publicly belittle a reporter who had the temerity to ask him a question in an interview, Liverpool’s clearly seething manager cut a surprisingly and almost comically restrained figure during his post-match debriefs, but is unlikely to have extended the same polite courtesy to his profligate players.

During his media duties, Klopp elected to focus on what his team were going home with, rather than what – in famous Bullseye parlance – they could have won, insisting there’s still plenty to play for. “We are fine with our situation,” he said, having seen his side drop to second in the league on goal difference that could yet prove decisive. “I wish we had more points but I’m absolutely fine and over the moon that these boys brought us into that situation. The same boys who missed a few chances today are the boys who brought us 71 points. It is likely to have more twists.” And with “over the moon” being exactly where several of the footballs kicked towards the United goal by Mo Salah, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez were subsequently spotted by astronomers, you have to applaud the German’s dedication to English cliche.

Sunday’s draw marked the end of a funny old week for Manchester United, who faced a combined 88 shots in three consecutive games but somehow contrived to only lose one of them. Appalled by his team’s overall performance but delighted with the result, it was a somewhat shell-shocked Erik ten Hag who singled out teenage centre-half W1lly Kambwala for individual praise after the game. “When old soldiers die, new ones have to come in,” he bugled, no doubt aware that fresh troops’ chances of survival are enhanced by a normally precise enemy opposition having a rare collective off-day.

For reasons that should be obvious, the phrase Proper Football Man has acquired a meaning beyond the literal. But once upon a time it described a person steeped in, defined by and obsessed with this most wondrous thing, the game of football, which made Proper Football Man the richest compliment there could possibly be – and Joe Kinnear, who has died at the age of 77, was a Proper Football Man in the truest sense. He came into the game young, did everything he could to stay in the game, left the game only when he had a heart attack, returned to the game, did absolutely everything he could to stay in the game, left the game for a heart bypass, returned to the game, did even more to to stay in the game, left the game and was diagnosed with vascular dementia. But more than anything, Kinnear was a Proper Football Man because of one uniting factor, the secret superpower shared by all members of the species: if he thought you were a cee, he’d tell you. Sleep well, JFK.

“It was tough, bad. We were inferior on all fronts – physically, on the ball. [They] were much stronger in terms of intensity from minute one. We didn’t get into the game. This was more than embarrassing. All of us. The staff and players. This is a blow that we all have to accept” – Ajax coach John van ‘t Schip laments his team’s humiliating 6-0 defeat to rivals Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, their largest ever loss in De Klassieker, eclipsing a 9-4 gubbing from 1964.

I couldn’t help notice that there’s not much football on tonight, except for Serie A (although this isn’t the 1990s and there’s no Football Italia, even if ITV have suddenly decided otherwise) so, just to see what the quality is like, I may tune in to watch the Saudi Super Cup (apropos of nothing, I wonder if they’re holding the final in Spain? Just a thought). Presumably, some marketing bod has already called it ‘Al Clasico’?” – Noble Francis.

This Big Website article about a hermit crab contains the immortal line about Saint Piran: ‘His spells as a hermit attracted particular admiration and, when he rediscovered tin, his popularity among the locals became legendary.’ Is it possible your weird elderly relative is older than we thought?” – Kevin Davey.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Kevin Davey.

Everton have been dragged closer to a first relegation in 73 years after being deducted two more points for breaching Premier League PSR rules up to 2023 – although after being gifted a win by Burnley they’re still arguably in credit.

Your Big Cup quarter-final countdown starts right here: Martin Ødegaard insists Arsenal aren’t scared of Bayern Munich – as well they shouldn’t be – before Tuesday’s first leg. “I don’t think we should fear anyone,” he sniffed. “We have to focus on ourselves and the quality we have in the team.”

Real Madrid forward Rodrygo reckons Manchester City are the world’s best team and that neither will be chuffed at colliding in the last eight. “This was an opponent that, to be honest, we didn’t want to face,” sighed the Brazilian. “And they think the same as well: they didn’t want to play against us. It’s a game that everyone expects to be the final, but it’s going to be now.”

Leah Williamson is back, back, back and will start for England against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday in their second Euro 2025 qualifier, following an opening 1-1 draw with Sweden. “Yes, it will be [emotional],” she said. “I’m an emotional person; we’ve all seen me cry on many occasions.”

The fate of this year’s Scottish Premiership title remains in the Old Firm’s hands after Rangers’ dramatic 3-3 draw at home to Celtic, in which Rabbi Motondo struck an added-time equaliser. “We’re more the winners,” whooped manager Philippe Clement. “We showed we deserve to be where we are. It’s a tough challenge but we’re in the form of champions.” Celtic remain one point clear, having played a game more and will meet their old rivals at home again once the league splits after 33 matches. “We played with quality and heart and made the crowd really edgy,” cooed Brendan Rodgers.

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo has got the funk on in the wake of their 3-1 defeat at Spurs, particularly with James Maddison escaping a red card for an off-the-ball incident with Ryan Yates. “It doesn’t look like he punched him, he punched him,” fumed Nuno. “I saw the image and that is why I speak to you. I was surprised VAR didn’t [say] to review it because honestly, with all my respects, Maddison loses his composure and it is a punch in the stomach.”

Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at Sheffield United means they have now both scored and conceded at least twice in their past seven games, an unsustainable state of things for Mauricio Pochettino. “Watching football, as a 52‑year‑old, you identify very quickly when a team is ready to compete or not,” he declared. “Today that happened. Maybe because this group is not mature enough to compete every single game, every three days.”

Congratulations to Peterborough, Sherpa Van Trophy champions courtesy of Harrison Burrows’ late double sinking Wycombe 2-1 at Wembley. “Whether it’s a cross or a shot it doesn’t matter – what a story for that kid,” whooped Darren Ferguson after Burrows’ 91st-minute second looped in from the touchline.

And Monterrey assistant coach Nico Sánchez has apologised – in a way – after audio leaked of him calling Lionel Messi a “dwarf” and saying the Inter Miami player had “the face of the devil”. “I will always defend my club,” he tooted. “I’m here to show my face and take charge.”

Fenerbahce’s ongoing beef with the Turkish football authorities means it is Galatasaray who are celebrating after the Super Cup final in Sanliurfa. As promised, the club fielded a starting line-up comprised entirely of academy players against their arch-rivals, with first-team squad members training back in Istanbul, and they were behind inside 50 seconds when Mauro Icardi fired home. Less than a minute later, Fenerbahce players walked off and the team subsequently forfeited the game.

“Our rebellion, our stance in the Super Cup, is not only about the date of the match or what happened in the last away match,” sniffed Fenerbahce president Yildirim Ali Koc, whose players were recently attacked by Trabzonspor fans. “It is time for a ‘reset’ for Turkish football. We are in a period when the swamp must be drained and Turkish football must rebuild itself. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. I hope that the justified rebellions of our club and the actions we decided to take out of necessity will ignite the cleansing process.”

The Premier League. Ten talking points. You know the drill.

“Erik ten Hag’s genius has been to take an everyday pratfall and turn it into a philosophy.” On Manchester United’s weird openness and an ongoing standard of shambles. By Jonathan Wilson, who’s been busy.

Daniele De Rossi’s hot start in charge of Roma rolled on with victory in the Derby della Capitale, as Nicky Bandini reports.

And Sid Lowe was at the Copa del Rey final as Athletic Club ended their 40-year trophy drought with penalty drama against Mallorca.

December 1966 and a proper pea-souper in Amsterdam, where Ajax mastered the conditions and opponents Liverpool to win the first leg of this European Cup second-round tie 5-1, a key early stop on the Total Football journey. Indeed such was the state of conditions that it went down in lore as De Mistwedstrijd – “The Fog Match”. A 2-2 draw in the return leg ensured their safe progression, and while they would go all the way to the final, Milan ended their hopes with a 4-1 victory. “We had confirmation that we were technically superior, and that everything [Rinus] Michels was putting in place was working,” Johan Cruyff would later write in his autobiography.