18 December 2023 , 20:38
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Luke Shaw has called on his Manchester United teammates to ensure that their display against Liverpool at the weekend sets the tone for performances going forward.
Few people fancied United to pick up a result ahead of Sunday's match against their arch-rivals at Anfield, but Erik ten Hag 's side defended valiantly and picked up a point after holding the Reds to a 0-0 draw.
The Dutchman has found himself under pressure in recent weeks after overseeing United's worst start to the season in decades and the top-four already looks a big ask for a side who have lost 12 matches in all competitions already this season. But Shaw feels that the defensive resilience United showed at Anfield can be a turning point.
When he was asked to put into the magnitude of Sunday's result into context, Shaw told BetFred : “Really important, especially with the results we’ve been having recently conceding a lot of goals. To go there, especially away at Anfield, what happened last year there - we all remembered that very well. It was one of the worst days in my footballing career.
“And for all of us. I think it was definitely showing a step in the right direction, still obviously little things we can do better on when we have the ball, but I think as a defensive block, a defensive unit, I think that is the foundations we need to approach every game with, exactly how we defended in that game.”
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He went on to add: “That has to be the foundation now. Every game, whether it is at Anfield away or here (at Old Trafford), it always has to be the same and I think that is where we have been lacking I think is the consistency.
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Luke Shaw wants Manchester United to build on their performance against Liverpool (MUTV)“I think one game we are excellent, for example the game against Chelsea here - we played a really good game, then we go and let ourselves down by playing Bournemouth here and losing 3-0. It’s not acceptable, we can’t accept that and it’s something that needs to be addressed and changed very quickly because we can’t keep doing this.”
Ten Hag also lauded United's defensive performance against Liverpool, telling TNT Sports post-match: “It’s a very good performance. You see the results from Liverpool at home and you then get away with a clean sheet.
“I think we defended as a team so good. We almost didn’t allow them any chances, especially from open play. Football’s never perfect, but the way we defended, it was almost perfect. When we make a mistake, there was always a team-mate to sort it out and support each other, to cover each other.
“I think that’s the big win from today. But we have to keep this. We have to bring this in every game.”