Liverpool drop first points in Manchester

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

Adam Lallana scored his first goal in more than two years to rescue a 1-1 draw for Liverpool at Manchester United yesterday, preserving the English Premier League leader's unbeaten start.

Although Liverpool dropped points for the first time since last season in March, Jürgen Klopp's side still went six points clear after nine games.

It's 17 consecutive wins and out in the league for Liverpool but the bigger mission is winning the English title for the first time since 1990.

United sit only two points above the drop zone but the heat should ease on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after avoiding defeat against what is currently the strongest side in England — and managing to take the lead through Marcus Rashford in the first half.

"The result is good," Klopp said after failing to win in the league for the first time since a draw with Everton in March. "It's not what we wanted before the game. But the way it developed I feel we have to be happy. We take the point because for a long time they were 1-0 up.

"We had good moments in the second half but I didn't like the first half, because we gave Manchester United opportunities to do what they wanted."

This was a day when Liverpool struggled to impose itself on a United side low in confidence.

But Klopp's second-half changes paid off. Lallana, who replaced Jordan Henderson around the hour, ghosted in at the far post in the 85th minute to meet Andy Robertson's cross with a tap-in for his first goal since May 2017.

Liverpool fans were already in party mood before kickoff at the home of their greatest rival.

They weren't just goading United about "going down." They'd brought balloons in the shape of sixes. Where better to celebrate their sixth European Cup triumph in June than at the club with only three successes?

Especially on a day when some United fans turned on their leadership in a very public way. A banner calling for the departure of executive vice chairman Ed Woodward was flown over Old Trafford before kickoff with fans protesting against the owning Glazer family outside.

With Woodward vowing to stick by Solskjaer after 10 months in charge, the players showed the determination so often missing.

It helped that Liverpool didn't resemble the power it now sees itself as — even against a defence as porous as United's — with Mohamed Salah out with an ankle injury.