Injury bug ravages Manchester United in stalemate against Liverpool
The infirmary at Old Trafford will be overflowing this week.
Injuries rocked Manchester United in the opening half of Sunday's goalless draw against Liverpool, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was forced to make all three of his substitutions before the interval thanks to a spate of ailments.
Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, and Jesse Lingard - who himself came on for Mata to make his first appearance after recovering from a hamstring issue - all needed to be removed from the contest; the latter appeared to re-aggravate his aforementioned injury.
3 - Manchester United are the first team to make three substitutions in the first half of a Premier League game since Burnley in January 2015 vs Newcastle United. Ailing. #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/tjWhNuxLMy
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 24, 2019
The headaches for Solskjaer came on the back of more unwelcome news prior to the match against the title-chasing Reds, as midfielder Nemanja Matic was ruled out for "a couple of weeks" by the interim boss after picking up an unspecified problem in training earlier this week.
On the opposing touchline, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was forced to burn an early switch of his own, as Roberto Firmino was relieved by Daniel Sturridge in the 30th minute. The Brazilian was clearly favoring his ankle.
The quartet of changes signaled the first time since 2009 - when Wigan played Fulham - that a Premier League match has seen four substitutions in the opening stanza.
That, in truth, was the only marquee talking point of an otherwise sloppy encounter, as each side struggled to craft opportunities in front of goal.
The draw pushes Liverpool back atop the league table, one point above title rivals Manchester City. United, meanwhile, now sit a single point back of Arsenal for the coveted final Champions League berth.