Man Utd delighted in preventing Liverpool from going back to the top of the Premier League table again. But the reality is clear despite Erik ten Hag’s verdict.

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United played out a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.

If Manchester United’s two draws with Liverpool in the Premier League this season mean that Jürgen Klopp doesn’t win another title before he departs this summer, the Old Trafford faithful will be delighted.

Job done; mission accomplished — even if Manchester City picks up a fourth straight league trophy instead.

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United played out a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. (Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“Jürgen’s cracking up,” sang the Stretford End at the final whistle. He responded with a cupped ear and it is fair to say those chants might be a little premature considering Liverpool remains second in the table, only behind Arsenal on goal difference. If they win seven out of seven from now until the end of the campaign, the Reds will probably still be champions.

Nevertheless, Manchester United fans were delighted with their point. Erik ten Hag even felt that his team was unfortunate to come away without all three. Just like midweek, the Dutchman’s players conceded late to miss out on a victory. Then, it was Chelsea (who netted twice in stoppage time); here, Aaron Wan-Bissaka conceded a spot kick that was converted by Mohamed Salah.

“Very mixed emotions,” Ten Hag told the BBC post-match. “On one side I am disappointed that we have dropped seven points in one week after being in winning positions, but we have to blame ourselves for making stupid mistakes.

“On the other side, I am very proud. You see how we are improving and the potential of this squad is amazing — I am proud. In decisive areas, we were losing battles especially with young players we were not confident to win them [duels]. We encouraged [the players] in the second half to do better and they stepped up.”

That reading of how things played out is generous in the extreme. Perhaps Ten Hag feels that he needs to make the most of getting points against some of Manchester United’s biggest rivals but the biggest winner will not be the former Ajax boss if he truly believes what he was saying.

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And it appears that he does — after all, why else would he keep setting his team up like that? Against Brentford a couple of weeks ago, the performance was dire but the aim was the same. The fact is, this Manchester United team is so open that it will concede chances. Usually, its opponent racks up more than 20 (Liverpool notched 28).

Manchester United is likely to finish in sixth this season and it remains to be seen if that will be enough for Jim Ratcliffe, who appears to be running the show at Old Trafford these days. If it is, though, there is nothing to suggest that the Red Devils will be any more consistent next season. Even with better players, being so open defensively is simply not sustainable.

Liverpool missed chance after chance and others this season have too. That is not a sign that Manchester United’s tactics are working, however — it is simply a reflection of the good fortune that Ten Hag has benefited from. Dominik Szoboszlai alone had two or three opportunities to score that he couldn’t take.

On another day, Liverpool would have made it 2-0. From there, it could have been any score. That is what happened in the 7-0 defeat at Anfield that Ten Hag masterminded last season. Given the chance by Klopp’s side’s profligacy, a Jarell Quansah error and then a Kobbie Mainoo screamer masked the clear deficiencies that Manchester United currently has.

A clever owner with ambitions of winning the title — or even qualifying for the Champions League again — would see that and make an upgrade. Perhaps Manchester United has that now with the new investment and the plethora of new staff behind the scenes who will have to make the big soccer-based decisions.

Old Trafford might have delighted in denting Liverpool’s title chances. But if Ten Hag stays in his post-long-term and continues to try and play like this, it will be the Reds who have the last laugh. If he stays, Manchester United’s best hope of glory in the coming seasons will be stopping its rivals from winning what they want rather than challenging itself.