Liverpool is six points clear at the top of the English Premier League but could only draw 2-2 with Manchester United on home soil with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah both scoring.
It was Manchester United who scored first through Lisandro Martinez before Gakpo leveled. Salah then put Liverpool in front but Amad Diallo was able to make it all square again.
Manchester United finally showed signs of life under new manager Ruben Amorim on Sunday, at least since the win at Manchester City, holding Premier League leaders and forcing the Reds to drop points for the first time since September.
The Red Devils were competitive from start to finish but delivered the game's first big shock when Lisandro Martínez scored the game's opening goal in the 52nd minute.
Liverpool responded quickly with a stunning strike from Cody Gakpo just seven minutes later, while fortunes swung the Reds' way when Mohamed Salah converted a penalty in the 70th minute.
Amad Diallo's equalizer 10 minutes later, though, meant the teams were forced to share the points, a result that was much more favorable to United than Liverpool.
Sunday's game marked a dramatic departure from their last meeting in September when Arne Slot's side won 3-0 at Old Trafford in one of the final games before United fired manager Erik ten Hag.
There were some notable similarities between the two games, though – Liverpool's attack was not at its best on either day, mustering just three shots on target from 11 shots in September and six from 19 on Sunday.
The Reds boasted a better-than-expected goals advantage this time around, outdoing United 2.71 to 1.7 after edging them out 1.79 to 1.36 in September, but the penalty conceded by Matthijs de Ligt helped their case considerably on a day that they left a little bit to be desired in attack.
United may have benefitted from Liverpool's offensive lull on Sunday, but it is hard not to recognize their own improvements from September's results to this one.
They can actually reasonably argue, for the first time in a long time, that they were hard done by at Anfield – the penalty called against de Ligt was fair but also an accident, while Gakpo's goal came off a shot valued at 0.06 expected goals.
They had their chances to sneak in a game-winner, too, through Harry Maguire's 97th-minute miss, while Andre Onana's impressive save in stoppage time also kept them in the game.
As for Liverpool, they seemed to lack control of a game, which is fairly uncommon for Slot's restrained but effective team.
One might chalk this performance up to the fatigue of a busy season, which will not necessarily slow down with an EFL Cup semifinal in three days and fixtures in the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
It is far too early to call this cause for concern, though – Liverpool are still unbeaten in 24 games and boast a six-point lead with a game in hand at the top of the Premier League table, assisted by the fact that Arsenal drew against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United started 2025 in superb style with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the capital on Saturday.
The game was won in the first half by Newcastle thanks to goals from Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak with the second half a story of holding on against Spurs. But long before the final whistle had sounded after 102 pulsating minutes, the nature of the first half equaliser was being questioned.
Spurs staff looked on in disbelief as Newcastle celebrated wildly following a move which saw the ball bounce off Joelinton's arm. But VAR officials stated on the big screens: "The referee’s call of goal was confirmed by VAR, who checked for a potential handball by Joelinton in the build-up and deemed that his arm was by his side, in a natural position and the contact was accidental."
Newcastle survived a penalty scare on 47 minutes when Livramento was deemed to have his hand by his side as Spurs piled on some early pressure. On 51 minutes, Hall and Gordon combined well to win a corner on the left-hand side for the Magpies but Spurs hacked clear.
Spurs came close to an equaliser on 54 minutes after Dubravka was forced to save well from Pape Matar Sarr before Brennan Johnson's effort slammed off the post. However, Gordon should have done better when a Tonali shot fell kindly for him but he blazed over from close range.
The home side introduced Heung-Min Son, England international James Maddison and Yves Bissouma came on for the final half hour for Timo Werner, Sarr and Bergvall. Gordon was forced off after suffering a bloodied nose after a clash with Dejan Kulusevski.
Joelinton was booked with 17 minutes to go for upending Son. Gordon was forced off with blood streaming down his face with 12 minutes to go and replaced by Harvey Barnes.
Spurs came close with nine minutes left when Maddison's effort whistled past Dubravka's goal but Newcastle survived the attack. Seconds later, two consecutive forays into the box saw Newcastle struggling under pressure with Bruno rallying his team-mates going into the closing stages.
Howe made a couple of late changes as Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff were sent on for Isak and Murphy. And as 10 minutes of stoppage time were displayed Botman went off for Lloyd Kelly.
Barnes skipped through in the 95th minute after being played in by makeshift striker Willock but Austin saved well. But the danger was not over as Solanke's header was saved well by Dubravka in the 98th minute of a long hard slog!
And Newcastle held on despite some late, late pressure from Spurs as Postecoglou entered the field looking dazed after the final whistle. The Magpies have 35 points in the bag after 20 matches and are in a good position to qualify for the Champions League.
In another Fixture, Erling Haaland's brace and Manchester City's 4-1 victory over West Ham United could signal a turning point in their season.
After a dismal run of results, the defending champions have secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since late October.
Haaland's impressive form continued as he headed in the second goal and chipped the goalkeeper for the third, both assisted by Savinho.
The Norwegian striker's goals, along with an own goal and a strike from Phil Foden, secured the win, despite Niclas Fullkrug's late consolation for West Ham.
Elsewhere, Chelsea's winless streak extended to four matches after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's late equalizer cancelled out Cole Palmer's opener, further denting Chelsea's fading title hopes.
Southampton's struggles persist despite a managerial change, as they suffered a 5-0 thrashing at home to Brentford, their third consecutive defeat under Ivan Juric. Bryan Mbeumo's brace took his league tally to 13 goals for the season.
Aston Villa and Bournemouth secured narrow 2-1 and 1-0 victories over Leicester City and Everton, respectively, in other Premier League encounters.