Aadam Patel
Football Reporter at Anfield

Two Premier League matches at Anfield. Two draws.

For just the third time in 63 years, Liverpool have failed to win either of their opening home games of a league season - not exactly the flying start new boss Andoni Iraola would have been dreaming of.

After such an encouraging midweek performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, full of urgency, Saturday's goalless draw against Fulham was a flat follow-up, especially with the Cottagers lacking in confidence and having conceded seven goals in their first three league games.

The Reds looked physically and mentally tired and, to put it bluntly, like an entirely different team to the one that won against a Diego Simeone side that made it to the Champions League semi-finals last season.

On the first real look at how Iraola's style will cope with two games a week, this was certainly not what the Liverpool head coach, nor the Anfield crowd, would have wanted to see.

His side are still unbeaten and it is hardly a crisis, but he will look at a return of six points from their first four Premier League games as disappointing, particularly by dropping four points at home to Nottingham Forest and Fulham, with another draw coming at Newcastle and their sole success at Ipswich.

The £364m attacking trio of Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz started together for the first time in a league game and although Liverpool had decent chances, they created nowhere near enough.

Isak's 16 touches in 90 minutes was the second fewest for an outfield Reds player on record, having had the fewest (14) against Forest a fortnight ago.

German Wirtz looked a shadow of the player who was terrific in midweek against Atleti and while Barcola and Isak had a few encouraging moments, that is a partnership that will take time to develop.

It is still early, but already there is a realisation from Iraola and his players that when they have such short turnarounds between games, perhaps it is a case of adapting and finding ways to get a result.

With at least seven more Champions League games to follow and a Carabao Cup tie at home to Tottenham on Tuesday, Liverpool must adapt sooner rather than later as the fixture list cranks up if they are to show they can challenge for honours this season.

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Aadam Patel
Football Reporter at Anfield

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham and boss Alvaro Arbeloa claimed their first Premier League point of the season with a goalless draw at Liverpool.

Less than 72 hours after the Reds beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Andoni Iraola's side lacked the intensity and urgency they showed on Wednesday night as they failed to score for the first time this term.

Arbeloa came into this game under pressure, with Fulham having lost each of their first three league games since he took charge in the summer. But his side put in a solid away performance and could have taken all three points if they were more ruthless in the final third.

Iraola made three Liverpool changes with Kostas Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch and Victor Munoz coming in for Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister and Rio Ngumoha.

Arbeloa, who played 98 games for Liverpool between 2007 and 2009, made two changes with Austrian centre-back David Affengruber making his debut in place of Joachim Andersen and Sander Berge replacing Cesar Palacios.

Fulham should have taken the lead early on when Jeremy Jacquet had to clear Gonzalo Garcia's effort off the line after a mix-up between keeper Alisson and Ryan Gravenberch that was entirely Liverpool's own doing.

The visitors were better in the opening half but failed to make it count, with Josh King's effort from inside the box saved by Alisson, before Antonee Robinson headed wide.

Munoz's header was kept out by a strong save from Bernd Leno at the other end, while a Bradley Barcola volley was deflected behind by Timothy Castagne for a corner.

Kerkez came on at the break for Tsimikas, who struggled in the first half and by the hour mark Gravenberch and Munoz were also replaced by Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo as Iraola looked to shift the momentum of the game.

Alexander Isak created an opening but his effort was saved comfortably by Leno, before the Fulham goalkeeper kept out a powerful strike from Dominik Szoboszlai.

The hosts made another double change in the 72nd minute with Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong introduced, but it was to no avail.

Isak headed wide from an injury-time corner and Fulham - who created late chances through King and Kevin - held on for a valuable point.

Liverpool

There was plenty to talk about from Sunday's Manchester derby and I think we have just about covered it all.

Let's stay in the North West and head to Liverpool, where the Reds begin their journey in the EFL Cup when they face Tottenham on Tuesday.

Andoni Iraola is about to sit down for his news conference to preview tomorrow's match. He will be looking to get back to winning ways after their disappointing result over the weekend...

Manchester United

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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez said of Erling Haaland's winner: "What I can't understand is the rules. I want to be calm now, I want to control myself.

"It's so hard because you lose a derby, you lose three points at home, and every season they're [referees] coming to our club, they explain for one hour the rules, and they look so confident with that, and then after [there are] five or six people doing these kind of mistakes in the Premier League - it's unacceptable.

"It's the best league in the world, you have the best teams in the world, the best players in the world, and now we have to go home with this injustice."

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

The first edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up will be broadcast tomorrow - meaning we will very likely get to hear the VAR audio of what went wrong.

There are two possible scenarios - that the VAR team judged there was no offside offence by Enzo Fernandez, or that they forgot he was offside and did not assess it.

It is very hard to make any argument that Fernandez did not impact Lisandro Martinez or Senne Lammens.

We have see this happen before, in a game between Arsenal and Brentford in 2023.

The VAR, Lee Mason, had a number of situations to check in the lead up to a Brentford goal for Ivan Toney. But within it, the VAR forgot to check an offside position for Christian Norgaard.

It's simple human error.

Haaland was onside from Josko Gvardiol's pass. But he would be offside if Fernandez touched the ball.

Were the VAR team so concerned with Fernandez touching the ball that they did not consider the Argentine's offence of trying to play it and interfering with an opponent?

Manchester United

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Manchester United boss Michael Carrick on Sunday's goal: "We put things in place in the game now, we have people in offices with all the screens for this decision.

"It's more worrying about if that's the interpretation of football now. If that's the interpretation of not interfering in the game now, that's really worrying for me. It's a staggering explanation.

"The decision isn't going to change the season, but it's had a major impact on the game."

Wayne Rooney
Former England striker on Match of the Day

I'm so sick of this VAR. It's horrendous, it takes all the emotion out of the game, the energy which the game is played with. To not see that and not recognise that Enzo Fernandez is in an offside position.

Anyone who's played the game at any level understands that and knows he is in an offside position, so to get it so wrong is baffling.

Image source, Getty Images

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

"I'd rather VAR not get involved wrongly to rectify something that wasn't wrong in the first place because that's a damaging effect on the game."

They were the words of referees' chief Howard Webb last month ahead of the new Premier League season.

Unfortunately in the case of Erling Haaland's winner, that is exactly what happened.

Such situations are rare - with three incorrect interventions last season.

But a couple were impactful too.

Fulham's Josh King had a goal wrongly disallowed on VAR review at Chelsea when the score was 0-0, and the Cottagers lost 2-0.

Chelsea were wrongly awarded a penalty against Crystal Palace for handball, which gave the Blues their second goal in a 3-1 win. Coincidentally, Matt Donohue was the VAR and Enzo Fernandez scored.

And Sunderland had a goal ruled out against Nottingham Forest, though the Black Cats were already losing 4-0.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport journalist

The Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref has admitted an "error of judgement" in awarding Erling Haaland's Manchester City winner against Manchester United.

As City celebrated a remarkable derby victory over Manchester United, there were questions as to whether Haaland's winning goal should have stood in a match fraught with controversy.

The striker scored in the 60th minute at Old Trafford, turning home at the back post from Josko Gvardiol's cross before it was disallowed on the field for offside.

Following intervention from the video assistant referee, the goal was awarded - the Norwegian ruled to have been played onside by Patrick Dorgu's boot.

But there was debate as to whether the offside Enzo Fernandez, diving at the ball in a more central position than Haaland, was interfering with play.

In a statement, Pro Ref said: "It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective.

"However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

"Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

But let's not go too bogged down with things that happened long before yesterday when there is another huge moment from Sunday's game to take a closer look at - the winning goal.

On the hour mark, Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol crosses the ball to the back post for Erling Haaland to expertly finish into the roof of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens' net.

The on-field decision is to disallow the goal, as referee Michael Oliver thinks Haaland is offside when the cross is delivered.

But VAR steps in to show that the City striker is being played on by the foot of United's Patrick Dorgu. The goal stands and, ultimately, decides the match.

Image source, Getty Images

Thanks for your message, Mick.

I slightly mangled my words earlier and implied that no one has been sent off in a Premier League Manchester derby since 2006. In fact, six have, it's just that Phil Foden is the first in a blue shirt to walk since Bernardo Corradi twenty years ago.

Nonetheless - the clash of the Manchester titans doesn't tend to provoke as many disciplinary offences as some of the UK's other major derbies.

Since the 2006-2007 season, here are the red cards which have been shown in rivalrous league encounters:

Manchester derby – 6 red cards in 41 gamesMerseyside derby – 11 red cards in 40 gamesTyne/Wear derby – 6 red cards in 18 gamesOld Firm derby – 20 red cards in 62 games

Manchester United

Manchester United have earned four points from their first four games and have equalled their worst start to a season since 1992-93 for the second season in a row.

Last season under Ruben Amorim, United lost against Arsenal, drew against Fulham, beat Burnley - and also lost to their Manchester rivals in the fourth game.

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Danny Murphy
Former Liverpool midfielder on Match of the Day

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[Foden's kick] wasn't ferocious, there wasn't speed to it, it wasn't done with studs, it was the side of his leg.

I just think now with the cameras, with the VAR, with the referee's initiatives to cut that type of thing out, you are rolling a dice if you do anything stupid.

Danny Murphy
Former Liverpool midfielder on Match of the Day

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I don't think they both should have [Foden and Fernandes be awarded a red card], we could talk all day about this.

Nobody would have batted an eyelid if they'd both got a yellow and a telling off for silly petulance and a silly kick out. They're not dangerous I don't think.

When you slow it down you'll see the original foul here from Fernandes, he gives Foden a little nudge with his foot whilst he's on the floor. But Foden's foot is high and is above the waist, which I think then gives the referee the thought, or idea, to give Foden the red card, because it seems more dangerous.

I don't think in this day and age you should be taking that risk, what is he thinking? Why has he done it?