Can: “We Deserved to Win the Game”

Manchester United sat deep, and Liverpool looked nervous. Touches were heavy, passes were off. Liverpool’s players looked like they were playing against a high press that had them rattled, except that United sat off and so they weren’t. In the first half, no Liverpool player represented this more than Emre Can.

Can, though, had the excuse of recently returning from a long injury layoff. He also improved as the game went on, shaking off the rust and delivering a much better performance in the second half—the same as many of his teammates. And in the end, Can and Liverpool probably deserved better than the point they got.

“I think we deserved more and deserved to win the game,” Can told the club’s official website following Monday night’s at times difficult to watch nil-nil draw. “We had the better chances and played better. It wasn’t our best game, but we played better than Manchester United I think and deserved to win.”

United sat deep in the first half, and Liverpool looked rattled, but the visitors had little to show for the opening period and in the second half the hosts steadied and had the only two real quality chances of the game. Both led to world class saves from Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, who saved a point for his side.

“In the second half we did a little bit better and we had the better chances,” Can added. “They have a very good goalkeeper, of course, and he made two good saves. It was too hectic in the game, and we have to do better in the next game. We will learn from it.”