An evening of some redemption for Manchester United was not without its customary slice of Anfield agony. Thirty seconds remained of a gripping battle when Joshua Zirkzee spurned the chance of hero status among fans who jeered him six days earlier to present Harry Maguire with a clear sight of Alisson’s goal. Maguire found Row Z of the Anfield Road Stand and United’s wait for a win at Liverpool heads towards a nine-year anniversary on 17 January.

Ruben Amorim visibly despaired after the two maligned United players combined to miss the opportunity to deliver a remarkable victory. But there was plenty to encourage the Portuguese coach, United’s mentality chief among them. Liverpool remain six points clear at the Premier League summit, with a game in hand on nearest challengers Arsenal.

But there was frustration among the leaders, Arne Slot damning his opponents with faint praise afterwards, at failing not only to increase the gap at the top but to inflict fresh torment on their fierce old rivals from Old Trafford. Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah overturned Lisandro Martínez’s opener to put Liverpool on course for another comeback triumph, only for Amad Diallo’s late strike to deliver a deserved point for Amorim’s team.

United performed with fight, resilience and a healthy degree of creativity. Bruno Fernandes was to the fore in terms of the final quality and afterwards spoke of his anger at United’s inability to consistently reach the levels shown on Sunday and against Manchester City. It is a question of character and of application and, as Amorim stressed, not systems and tactics.

Overnight snow and heavy rain made for a slow and sodden pitch but both sides made light of the conditions to produce a flowing contest. Gakpo beat André Onana with the game’s first chance only for his deft chip to sail over the United goalkeeper and wide of the far post. Moments later Salah’s glorious pass gave Alexis Mac Allister another sight of the United goal but the midfielder, outstanding for Liverpool yet again, saw his volley strike Onana’s legs and cannon clear.

United’s main threat came down their left with Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Højlund all prospering in space behind Trent Alexander-Arnold. Scrutiny was more intense than ever on the Liverpool right-back after Real Madrid’s failed approach for his services earlier in the week. He endured a poor night.

Diallo should have edged United ahead when Dalot broke clear of Alexander-Arnold and centred to the young winger, unmarked in the six-yard box. Diallo got ahead of the cross, however, and managed to steer a header away from Alisson’s goal, taking an accidental knee to the back from the Liverpool keeper in the process. Shortly before the break Højlund had another fine chance when angling his run behind the Liverpool defence and latching on to Martínez’s through ball. Alisson saved from a tight angle before Alexander-Arnold blocked Kobbie Mainoo’s follow-up.

Second-half improvements have been a characteristic of Liverpool’s title charge. The latest was not without complications and the necessity to dig into those vast reserves of experience and belief. Seven minutes after the restart United stunned Anfield when taking the lead in style. Martínez was first to a hopeful clearance from Alexander-Arnold and fed Fernandes before continuing his charge into the Liverpool area. The United captain returned a polished pass in to Martínez who lashed an unstoppable finish in off the underside of Alisson’s crossbar from a tight angle.

The defender’s first goal of the season sparked wild celebrations in the United section. They were curtailed seven minutes later when Gakpo struck an equally impressive finish from an awkward angle. Played in on the left by Mac Allister, Gakpo was invited to cut back on to his right foot by a careless, overcommitted lunge from Matthijs de Ligt. The striker took full advantage of his international teammate’s lapse to beat Onana with a blistering shot into the roof of the net.

De Ligt was caught out a second time when Liverpool took the lead thanks to an intervention from VAR. The referee, Michael Oliver, initially waved play on when Mac Allister’s header from an Alexander-Arnold cross struck the United defender’s raised arm. The close proximity could have been the only reason. VAR advised a look at the pitch-side monitor. De Ligt’s arm was raised in an unnatural position and Salah swept the resulting, inevitable, penalty past Onana’s left hand.

United summoned fight and endeavour once more. Fernandes released Alejandro Garnacho down the left with a fine pass. The substitute dragged a low cross behind the Liverpool defence for Diallo to squeeze in an equaliser from six yards out. Both teams could have nicked victory in a frenzied finale. Fernandes almost caught out Alisson at his near post, Diogo Jota had a shot deflected over and Virgil van Dijk headed tamely at Onana from the resulting corner.

Then came United’s final break against a badly exposed Liverpool defence. Zirkzee, his confidence no doubt low having been jeered off in Monday’s defeat by Newcastle, opted against shooting with only Alisson to beat and squared inside to Maguire. “He made a good decision for Harry to score,” said Amorim. “But sometimes you cannot do it.”