LIVERPOOL, England — Xherdan Shaqiri came off the bench and scored two goals from deflected shots to help Liverpool beat Manchester United, 3-1, and lift his team back atop the Premier League on Sunday.
Sadio Mané gave Liverpool the lead in the 24th minute after a breathless start at Anfield that overwhelmed United.
But days after saving Liverpool in the Champions League with a stunning late stop against Napoli, the Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker made a dreadful mistake that handed United’s Jesse Lingard an equalizer in the 33rd minute.
But within three minutes of coming in as a substitute, Shaqiri spared Alisson by putting Liverpool back in front in the 73rd with a low strike that deflected off United defender Ashley Young and went in off the crossbar.
Shaqiri’s second goal clinched a Liverpool victory in what was once the biggest rivalry matchup in English soccer — and it came via another ricochet, this time off Eric Bailly, that deceived United goalkeeper David de Gea in the 80th.
It was indicative of the approaches of the teams’ managers that United’s José Mourinho sent on a defensive midfielder, Marouane Fellaini, at halftime with the score at 1-1, while Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp turned to Shaqiri with the same score midway through the second half.
“He is a wonderful player,” Klopp said of Shaqiri, who joined from Stoke in the off-season to supplement Liverpool’s options up front. “His left foot is made for decisive things.”
Source: Read Full Article