Wayne Rooney names Liverpool star who was ‘fortunate’ to avoid red card against Man Utd

The Man Utd legend feels one player was lucky to stay on the pitch (Picture: PLP)

Wayne Rooney believes Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher was ‘fortunate’ to not get a red card during his side’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.

The Premier League title race took another twist after Jurgen Klopp’s side were made to pay for their wastefulness in a pulsating affair at Old Trafford.

Luis Diaz found a breakthrough for the visitors in the first half before spectacular finishes from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo gave United a shock lead in the second half.

Liverpool salvaged a deserved point through Mohamed Salah after he scored a late penalty, but the Reds still missed out on the opportunity to reclaim top spot from Arsenal.

The game’s turning point came with Fernandes’ stunning strike – United’s first shot of the game – as he took advantage of Jarell Quansah’s error to lift a long-range effort over the stranded Kelleher from inside the centre circle.

Rooney was full of praise for the United captain’s strike but also noted that Kelleher was fortunate to not see red as he tried to palm away the effort from outside his area.

‘The technique is fantastic – he almost stabs it in and gets the right amount of spin and just enough elevation,’ Rooney said on Premier League Productions.

‘That’s such a hard skill to do first time with the ball coming across you so it’s an incredible finish.

‘The keeper is actually a bit fortunate he doesn’t get a hand on the ball because he would have got a red card!’

With just seven games remaining in the season, the title race could well go right down to the wire, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all separated by just a point.

More Trending

Read More Stories

But while Rooney’s former side may have taken a valuable point off Liverpool on Sunday, the 38-year-old is still backing the Reds to win the league in Klopp’s final season.

‘I know it’s only seven games but a lot will happen between now and the end of the season. I still think Liverpool will nick it,’ he said.

Liverpool next face Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, while Arsenal and Manchester City face very testing Champions League ties against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.