Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool
It’s football games like these: the grandest of occasions when top players are supposed to shine.
These are the days when the cream so often rises to the top and sports betting provides opportunities to bet online on the stars of the game.
So, after receiving praise by the bucketload in recent weeks, after seemingly beginning to settle in England, how odd that the world’s most expensive footballer fluffed his lines when the opportunity arose.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not Paul Pogba’s fault that the £89 million fee Manchester United paid is under constant scrutiny.
For the Frenchman is a fine young player with plenty to learn but plenty of promise, athleticism some could only dream of and an eye for a pass and goal.
However, not for the first time this season, the 23-year-old has failed to shine in a big contest.
That he needlessly conceded a 27th-minute penalty – which James Milner coolly converted – with a handball was only part of the story.
From thereafter, the more Pogba tried to make amends for his error, the more he failed to impose himself on this meeting of England’s great heavyweights.
Indeed, the midfielder almost tried too hard at times and his frustration was there for all to see.
In his defence, he managed to keep his cool for the most part and deserved credit for continuing to drive United forward – the sign of a good player.
That the home side gained a point late on was thanks, in no small part, to a player who has spent a career backing up his reputation and various transfer fees with performances at the top level.
This was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 14th Premier League goal in 20 appearances and, unlike Pogba, he has regularly backed up his self-confidence and personality by delivering on the pitch.
A note of acknowledgement for Liverpool’s marksman too. Milner has now scored his last 10 penalties, a fine record.
So honours even, deservedly so, but the questions about the effervescent Frenchman remain.
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