Man Utd beat Liverpool in thrilling fashion but football's fiercest rivalry has gone soft

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The latest instalment of the famously-feisty fixture produced only two yellow cards and continued a general trend of good behaviour in the contest which is part-explained by VARPaul Pogba was the last player to be shown a STRAIGHT red card in a Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester UnitedSix years ago, Manchester United and Liverpool played out a Premier League draw at Old Trafford, Adam Lallana’s late goal cancelling out a first-half opener from Marcus Rashford. Remember the days when some Liverpool and United players looked like they might get booked in the warm-up?

Steven Gerrard was sent off 38 seconds after coming on as a second half substitute in the game between Liverpool and United at Anfield in March, 2015 ( Image: PA) There has been the odd nasty moment since the pre-match love-in that sent Keane into meltdown - VAR upgraded Paul Pogba’s two-footer on Naby Keita in October, 2021, to a straight red - but not many. In fact, over the past 11 Premier League meetings between these two teams, Liverpool have collected only 13 yellow cards.

And this is a trend that is not just confined to Liverpool and United’s rivalry. Roy Keane was once 'disgusted' by Manchester United and Liverpool players hugging in the tunnel before a match ( Image: (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)) That might have something to do with the relatively good spirit in which the Liverpool-United and Liverpool-City games seem to be played nowadays.