At last, an effort that repays fans' support

THE Manchester United players received fervent applause from their travelling supporters at the start and end of their warm-up.

- SAMUEL LUCKHURST

They were owed a performance, and they got it.

Such stirring backing had to elicit an effort that would be at the very least committed. No United player cried off without breaking sweat or dared to caress the 'This is Anfield' sign. Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund both succumbed to cramp in added time.

Raphael Varane bullishly clapped the away contingent, Kobbie Mainoo implored them to continue their impassioned backing into the dying embers and Luke Shaw executed a foul as cynically as Norman Whiteside. He was not short of teammates to back him up.

In a season so often to soundtracked ing, United players were never in danger of that ignominy. Nor would they face a sparse away end as they had at full-time in March. It was packed.

"Oh United, we love you," they sang as five minutes of added time were signalled. That segued into 'We'll never die! After the soullessness of the defeat to Bayern Munich, this will have stirred the soul of those in the Anfield Road End. For the first time this season, Liverpool were denied victory at home.

As a United staff member stressed at the interval, containment at Anfield is not an approach they embrace. United are winless at Anfield in nine now and it is three wins in 18. There was no euphoric roar from the away end at the final whistle.

United were never going to go toe-to-toe with a team who do not declare in their scoring, as United discovered at Anfield nine months ago. Their game plan was as admirable as it was understandable.