Souness’ glowing Shaw statement is further proof of importance to Man Utd

Graeme Souness hailed Luke Shaw for his performance during Manchester United ’s goalless draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

Shaw was handed the job of dealing with Reds danger man Mohamed Salah for much of the match at Anfield.

And the left-back put in a sterling display, keeping the Egyptian hit-man quiet for most of the game as United kept a clean sheet to stay top of the Premier League.

The hosts had 17 shots in total, but just three on target, and they have now gone three games without scoring a goal in the Premier League.

Their failure to score on Sunday was down to a sturdy United backline, which kept keeper David de Gea relatively trouble-free.

And Souness was in no doubt as to which member of that defence deserved the most praise, giving an indicator of how important Shaw has become to his side.

“For me, looking at Liverpool as a Liverpool supporter and thinking the difference between where they've been for the last three years and where they are right now is the front three,” he said in his post-match analysis on Sky Sports.

“The front three today, for me, no sparkle, no real special moments for them.

“Firmino didn't take part in the game a lot, Salah didn't skip past Shaw once, who was arguably the best I've seen anyone handle Salah.”

Souness pointed to the Liverpool front three’s inability to beat their defenders as the key reason behind a third successive game without a goal.

"De Gea didn't have many saves. They huffed and puffed Liverpool but nothing special,” he said.

“No one was skipping past a defender, committing the next defenders to come out and openings are there. That didn't happen for them today. Mane and Salah were kept very quiet.

“I think it's a makeshift team. The defenders, makeshift defenders if you want to call them, did a good job.

“The make up of the midfield when Thiago comes in, Shaqiri, not played a lot football. I think they did well.”

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