José Mourinho watched over another one of his big game defensive masterclasses at Anfield on Saturday, as Manchester United fought off a dominant Liverpool side to earn a 0-0 draw.

The Reds withstood constant pressure from the home team’s impressive attacking trio Mohamed Salah, Phillipe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

More De Gea heroics save United

United showed an out-of-form opponent too much respect and endured 90 tough minutes in which just 38% possession and one shot on target was recorded, courtesy of a service-starved Romelu Lukaku. Five of Liverpool’s 19 shots tested David De Gea though, one of which forced him to make one of the saves of the season from Joel Matip’s close-range punt in the first half.

However, the Spaniard played down his heroics by describing it as “all instinct” after the full-time whistle. “I try to react quickly, I put my foot there and saved the ball – it’s good.” Despite the Merseyside club’s supremacy, De Gea’s match-saving stop was the only time he was properly tested as United’s unsettled defence once again proved to be one of the league’s strongest.

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Pleased with a point at Anfield

The result was the fourth stalemate in a row between the North-Western giants, but David De Gea felt like a point at Anfield is never two points dropped, regardless of the performance. “We always try to win, but Liverpool were better than us. It’s one point away from home so we’re happy.”

The 26-year-old also reflected on his own performance on top of Manchester United’s, emphasising that every save is important, especially at Anfield” before insisting the feeling is “good” in the dressing room. Mourinho’s men might’ve failed the impress in their first big Premier League test of the campaign, but he’ll have plenty of opportunities to put it right.

A trip to Huddersfield Town on Saturday will be followed by Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, so the Reds’ title credentials should be much clearer once those fixtures have passed.

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Alex Turk
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