James Milner Liverpool 2018-19Getty Images

'Liverpool were not good enough' admits Milner after Man Utd draw

Liverpool midfielder James Milner says his side “were not good enough” in their goalless draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Jurgen Klopp’s side returned to the top of the Premier League with the battling point but may reflect on an opportunity missed after United were forced to make three substitutions in the first half due to injury .

Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard – himself a substitute – were all forced off during a frantic opening period that also saw Roberto Firmino limp off for Liverpool .

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Marcus Rashford also picked up an injury early on but was forced to play the rest of the game in obvious discomfort.

Despite those setbacks, a reshuffled United side rallied after the break and comfortably held Liverpool at bay.

The Reds had the majority of the possession but failed to create a clear-cut opportunity, managing just one shot on target in the whole 90 minutes.

Speaking after the game, Milner conceded his side failed to truly capitalise on the Red Devils’ injury misfortune.

“A clean sheet is pleasing because it’s not an easy place to come, especially given the run they have been on,” said the 33-year-old. “We made all the running but didn’t get as many chances as we would have liked. We had a few chances from set plays.

“The least we wanted was a clean sheet and see what happens, but we’re disappointed not to win the game as we go into every game to win.

“Hopefully, it’s a good point come the end of the season, but we will only know if it’s a good point after 38 games. I just don’t think we were good enough with our movement or final ball at times. We didn’t manage to open them up around the box as much as we’d like.

“United are a confident team and well organised so it’s never going to be easy to break them down. But, with the player’s we’ve got, we would have liked to have created more opportunities.

“There’s a long way to go. We have to look where we can improve when we have got the ball.”

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