Liverpool vs Manchester United live on Sky Sports Premier League from 3.30pm on Sunday
Sunday 16 December 2018 15:45, UK
Jose Mourinho has mastered shutting out Jurgen Klopp's side at Anfield over the past two years with back-to-back goalless draws - but how did the United manager do it?
Mourinho set up in a 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool in October 2016, deploying Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrara in a defensive pairing.
Paul Pogba started in an advanced role behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, flanked by Ashley Young and Marcus Rashford - with the latter posing at attacking threat on the break.
As the graphic below shows, United ended up packing central midfield to stifle Liverpool's build-up play, with every outfield player, bar Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly, averaging close to the halfway line.
Herrera and Antonio Valencia combined most frequently, with the Spaniard - who was named man of the match - also feeding Fellaini and Rashford, looking to exploit makeshift left-back James Milner and the attack-minded Philippe Coutinho.
Young, Bailly, Fellaini and Ibrahimovic all picked up yellow cards as United's aggressive approach broke Liverpool's creative flow.
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Mourinho's towering stars dominated the aerial battle - led by Pogba and Fellaini, while Daley Blind and Bailly each made seven clearances to extinguish pressure.
We controlled the game tactically and emotionally which is not easy to do. The result is acceptable, we wanted more.
But, despite the defensive resolve, David de Gea was forced into making three saves - including two spectacular stops from Emre Can and a long-range Coutinho piledriver - compared with Loris Karius' single stop at Anfield.
The stats reveal Liverpool's attacking dominance in the game - dwarfing Mourinho's side for shots, final-third activity and forward passes.
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But United's dogged, defensive approach controlled the tempo, while De Gea's exploits and Valencia's 84th-minute last-ditch challenge on Roberto Firmino ensured a goalless stalemate.
One year later, United returned to Anfield in the Premier League with a much-changed line-up - starting new signings Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic along with Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Phil Jones and Matteo Darmian.
United held their 4-2-3-1 effectively, sinking deeper than the previous outing, with Matic and Herrera averaging only slightly ahead of centre-backs Chris Smalling and Jones.
Once again, United were cautioned more than their opponents, with Smalling shown a yellow for pulling down Mohamed Salah before Young joined him in the book, while Jones made a match-topping four interceptions to break up play.
United produced a slightly less aggressive performance but emerged more balanced, passing evenly across midfield, with Matic frequently looking to unleash the pace of Martial.
You’ll say we were defensive and they were offensive. They were at home and didn’t move anything.
De Gea made five saves - including a point-blank block from Joel Matip - but Simon Mignolet was also called into action with his single stop of the game after Martial threaded Lukaku to fire at goal.
Overall, United enjoyed a slightly greater share of possession this time out, closing the disparity for passes and touches from their previous outing - and closed the gap significantly for forward-thinking distribution.
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So will United look to nullify Liverpool's flow with defensive resolve, or will Mourinho line up to attack the Reds in this season's favoured 4-3-3 formation - to end Liverpool's unbeaten streak in the Premier League this term?
