Here is your Manchester United morning digest for Monday, January 18.
Pep talk
Pep Guardiola insisted that Manchester City were not focusing on the golden opportunity given to them by Liverpool and Manchester United.
An underwhelming goalless draw at Anfield between Liverpool and United handed City the opportunity to move second in the Premier League if they beat Crystal Palace, with the Blues able to go top of the table by winning both games in hand over their title rivals.
Going into the Crystal Palace fixture, Guardiola insisted the Eagles were his only focus, batting away a number of questions about Liverpool and United in his pre-match press conference.
And that was the same in his pre-match interview with Sky Sports, as he was asked for his reaction to both Liverpool and United dropping two points on Sunday.
Denying that City were given extra motivation to beat Palace, Guardiola said: "No. Motivation is Crystal Palace what we have to do. We don't have finished the first leg so it's winning our games. The rest is not important."
City went on to beat Palace 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium to go second in the table.
Keane's Pogba claim
Roy Keane insisted Paul Pogba 'had to score' his golden chance against Liverpool and suggested Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes had games to forget.
After a tepid first-half performance from both teams, United grew stronger in the second half and had two major opportunities to win at Anfield for the first time since 2016.
Fernandes saw a close-range effort saved by the feet of Alisson after neat work from Luke Shaw before Pogba failed to convert the best chance of the match for either side.
The Frenchman latched onto a cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka inside the area but fired a volley straight at the Liverpool goalkeeper from close range, whilst under pressure from an onrushing Fabinho.
With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson playing at centre-back for Liverpool in a makeshift backline, Keane claimed after the match that Pogba had to score the big chance of the game.
“I think they will be disappointed, they had the two best chances all game," Keane told Sky Sports. "I know Liverpool had a lot of possession, they started well, but the two big chances United had in the second half.
United reaction
United will rue not winning at Liverpool and that alone represents progress. They left Anfield 30 points adrift of their adversaries a year ago and remain three points clear of the champions as the Premier League approaches its halfway stage. That will maintain the positivity that is coursing through a success-starved club.
United, reticent on recent visits to Anfield, recorded more attempts on target than Liverpool and were the more threatening in the dying embers. Liverpool were indebted to Alisson's reflexes for maintaining their unbeaten home league stretch.
For United, it is 23 undefeated in domestic away games and, judging by the exasperated outbursts from Jurgen Klopp, there was a minor mental victory.
