This footage has turned out to be much more interesting than the match itself.
It was a shame that, for the second season running, Manchester United and Liverpool at Anfield did not live up to our high expectations.
The game finished 0-0 and United did not show much ambition to go for all three points. They failed to register a shot on target in the second half and needed a stunning David De Gea save to leave Merseyside with a point for the second successive match.
United boss Jose Mourinho has copped some flak since that game and though much of the criticism has merits, the Portuguese will point to United’s 20 points from a possible 24 as justification that he is gradually building a squad capable of a title push.
LFC TV has posted 12 minutes of pre- and post-game footage from in and around the tunnel leading out to the Anfield pitch. From it, we get to see a Mourinho that we don’t often witness on our TV screens.
After doing a pre-game chat with Sky Sports, Mourinho is warmly greeted by Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp. There is an embrace and the German reacts with a smile to a comment from Mourinho. If both men dislike each other, they are hiding it well.
We then see Mourinho nervously wait to get his players back in the dressing room for their final debrief. As the likes of Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku warm-up on the pitch, the United manager does some half-hearted stretching of his own in the tunnel.
As the Liverpool players head back to their dressing room, Mourinho catches up with Mo Salah, whom he coached at Chelsea, and the pair trade some pleasantries before hugging. There’s even an affectionate pat on the cheek for the winger.
Following the stalemate, Mourinho takes the time to shake hands with Liverpool defender Joel Matip, who had been denied by De Gea’s magnificent save during the game. The respect for United’s big rivals is clear. Perhaps this is why Mourinho opted to not to go gung-ho against the Reds.
Far from contrary and sullen, the 54-year-old was in warm and welcoming form on his trip up the M62.
You can check out the full ‘Inside Anfield’ video here:
If only the game had half the excitement. Still, there’s always the Old Trafford return to look forward to.
