Manchester United players have a seven-day rest between their hard-fought 2-2 draw at Anfield and Sunday’s FA Cup tie away to Arsenal.
Given how many of them left absolutely everything on the pitch in the action-packed rivalry clash, they’ll likely need the full week to recover and plan how to do the same – and more – next time around.
Of course, plenty of talk after the full-time whistle, and all of yesterday, was largely occupied by the potential winning goal squandered by United in the dying embers of the affair. Joshua Zirkzee found himself in a perfect position just inside the area to shoot but opted for the selfless alternative and instead squared the ball to Harry Maguire, who was unmarked in the centre of the box.
Zirkzee’s bobbling pass left a lot to be desired – but so did Maguire’s finish, as Ibrahima Konate and Comor Bradley’s positioning meant that he could’ve perhaps taken a touch to steady himself before dispatching his shot at the floundering Liverpool backline.
Further inspection after the game appeared to confirm that the Dutch forward was narrowly offside, which provided supporters with some consolation, knowing that the goal wouldn’t have stood had Maguire’s effort nestled into the back of the net.
Rio Ferdinand reacts to Maguire/Zirkzee debacle
Reacting to the passage of play on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the former Red pointed the finger at Zirkzee for not sending a good enough pass his teammate’s way.
“After all of it, I would have gone in the changing room and gone, ‘Bruv, what type of stupidness was that?! What type of pass was that?! We could have won the game!’
“But Zirkzee is lacking in confidence, so he (Maguire) ain’t going to do that,” Ferdinand explained. “It’s detail. You know what it’s like? Talk to somebody like you want to be talked to, pass how you want to receive – same thing.”
