Man Utd legend aims "worst ever" dig at Liverpool fans after huge Anfield crowd see goalless draw

Gary Neville aimed a dig at Liverpool’s fans - despite the biggest Anfield crowd for half a century seeing their side frustrated by Manchester United. 

The hosts largely dominated proceedings, with 34 shots to United’s six, but couldn’t find a way through in the goalless draw. The outcome defied pre-match expectations and United legend Neville felt those predictions potentially played into the atmosphere, despite Anfield welcoming 57,000 fans after the top tier of the Anfield Road Stand was opened for the first time. 

“The atmosphere was the worst I’ve seen Anfield ever in a Liverpool-Manchester United game and I’ve always been complimentary of Liverpool fans,” Neville told Sky Sports. “It’s the biggest crowd they’ve had here in 60, 70 years but it’s the quietest crowd I’ve seen here in this game. 

“I don’t know what was up today. There was maybe a little bit of over-confidence before the game, people wearing Christmas jumpers with 7-0 on… When you’re in that feeling - some of the players were left behind from a European trip - all the noise about Manchester United getting destroyed at Anfield, it just maybe sometimes seeps into you a little bit, in the crowd and on the pitch.”

Neville was ultimately as surprised as anyone to see Erik ten Hag’s men keep a clean sheet at Anfield given their recent defensive struggles. On the other side, he did not think it was a vintage Liverpool display as they ended the day one point behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. 

“I was surprised it was a draw, I didn’t think Manchester United had a clean sheet in them, didn’t have a defensive performance like that in them,” Neville said. “Liverpool were well below-par, you can look at stats all you like, but they were so clumsy and so scruffy in the final third that Manchester United grew into the game. 

“Jurgen Klopp has just spoken about a dominant performance, Liverpool were still the better team, but they could even have lost it. Jurgen Klopp gets his substitutions right 99 times out of 100 but today I thought his first set of substitutions caused him a problem when they went to that 4-2-4 with Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield. 

“United had two or three dangerous counter-attacks and he had to correct it, and then there was a little bit of an imbalance. It was a bit of an awkward watch for Liverpool today.”

United ended the day seventh, six points shy of neighbours Manchester City in fourth and 11 behind Arsenal at the top.