After the intense media build-up it was almost inevitable that Manchester United’s draw with Liverpool would never live up to expectations.
Many supporters had anticipated a high-scoring clash, but it is credit to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that his injury-stricken side managed to make the Premier League pacesetters so tame in front of goal.
On a different day United might well have secured a famous win to spoil Jurgen Klopp’s title hopefuls, but there should still be great optimism with what we saw from the home side.
Solskjaer has been unable to change the actual personnel at his disposal but he has engineered a marked improvement in each defender who played against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
It is no illusion United want, and need, to sign a top-class centre-back in the summer transfer window, but credit needs to be given for the manner in which the shaky defence has been solidified.
United’s back line is by no means the finished article and it would be delusional to suggest they can mount a serious Premier League title challenge without significance defensive investment at the end of the City.
However, you can’t ignore the fact United managed to subdue a team as potent as Liverpool and that they did so without the protection of Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera for much of the game.
Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling look like a very solid defensive partnership, while Luke Shaw is finding an encouraging level of consistency at full-back.
There are still doubts over the quality at full-back but it is harsh to really blame Ashley Young for his role in defence given his natural preference to attack. But there is encouragement in the manner with which Solskjaer has instructed him to play within his strengths and concentrate on consistent showings at the back.
And Solskjaer paid tribute to the United fans, which will surely go down well, as staked his claim for the full-time job again.
“Today we saw Man United’s team spirit and togetherness, the crowd and us together,” he said.
“I have to say we keep praising the away fans when we come back with a win, but today the [home] fans were unbelievable.
“For the whole 90 minutes. The fans, they were the 12th man today.
A goalless draw at home to Liverpool will never be satisfactory, however the manner in which United limited their opponents proves Solskjaer’s impact is far more than just high fives and counter-attacks.
And while a tighter defence is a welcome addition to their approach there is no denying the fact United must spend big to address the porous problem in the summer.