Substitute Shaqiri

By Max Wise

Liverpool returned to the summit of the Premier League table in a dominant display with a 3-1 victory over their rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

Substitute Xherdan Shaqiri’s two goals proved to be priceless for the Reds after Alisson’s howler allowed United back in the game following Mane’s opener for Liverpool.

Liverpool remain unbeaten with 45 points from seventeen games, a point above Manchester City, whiles Manchester United are in 6th place with 26 points,19 points behind Liverpool and 11 points behind Chelsea in fourth.

Roberto Firmino tested De Gea from range in the 7th minute but the Spanish goalkeeper was equal to the task with a full stretch to tip it away.

Liverpool made the breakthrough in the 24th minute after Mane collected a brilliant lofted ball from Fabinho on his chest and finished through the legs of David De Gea.

Alisson was brilliant in mid-week against Napoli but the Brazilian handed Manchester United an early Christmas present when he spilled Lukaku’s cross from the left allowing Jesse Lingard to bundle it into the back of the net for United’s equalizer in the 33rd minute.

Alisson’s opposite number, David de Gea, came to United’s rescue once again with a fine one-handed save from Firmino’s toe poke seven minutes after the break.

Then came the moment of truth, Shaqiri came on for Keita, and within three minutes he shot Liverpool into the lead. Sadio Mane cleverly outwitted Ander Herrera on the left and his deflected cut back fell kindly to Shaqiri whose strike went in via a massive deflection off Ashley Young in the 73rd minute.

Shaqiri put the game to bed in the 80th minute with his second of the game by way of another deflection, this time off the toes of Eric Bailly, after the Swiss was set up by Roberto Firmino.