Man Utd have a midfield at last! Manuel Ugarte-Kobbie Mainoo axis is stable platform for Ruben Amorim’s side -up is needed to prevent team falling back on Casemiro & Christian Eriksen

To paraphrase UK indie landfill greats The Automatic, ‘What’s that coming over the hill, is it a midfield?’ Manchester United’s lack of a proper presence in the middle of the park has been a concern for around a decade, but when up against a Liverpool team that have made huge strides in that area this season, it was the Red Devils who ruled the centre of the pitch.

Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte struck up a fine partnership in the 2-2 draw at Anfield, with help from Bruno Fernandes dropping deep to help them out of possession, and they managed to prevent Liverpool from ever getting comfortable while also building sustained attacks. It was a radical transformation from the shambolic defeat at home to Newcastle six days earlier, when United’s midfield was staffed by Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, with Joshua Zirkzee in front of them before he was hauled off in the 33rd minute for Mainoo.

The return of the suspended Ugarte and Fernandes as well as Mainoo playing from the start made a world of difference, and it is now crystal clear that Mainoo and Ugarte should start every game together when possible. They can be the foundation upon which Ruben Amorim can rebuild his team from the rubble and make performances like Anfield the norm, not the exception.