Manchester United and Liverpool grind out a 1-1 tie that helps neither team much

It was a battle of sleeping giants at Old Trafford. A club that had dominated England – and the world – in the 1970s and 80s against one that had done the same in the 90s and early 2000s, until Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been toiling fervently to reclaim their perch at the top of the mountain since then.

It’s been a quest of 3½ years for United. For Liverpool, it’s going on a dozen years since the Reds won the Champions League, and 27 since they last celebrated a first-division title.

On Sunday, neither team helped itself very much by struggling to a tight 1-1 draw in Manchester. The tie saw Chelsea build out its lead at the top of the table to seven points, and Spurs take Liverpool’s second place, at the conclusion of the 21st round of play. Liverpool now sits in third place and United lingers in sixth. After Everton had unexpectedly crushed Manchester City 4-0 earlier in the day, both Manchester clubs remain outside the four Champions league spots.

In the fevered buildup, United’s manager Jose Mourinho tried playing his signature mind games, suggesting that his opposite number Jurgen Klopp would be more nervous than he was. But the experienced German laughed it off, as he does most things, and fielded a cohesive team.

The game got off to a tentative start, and it quickly became plain that it would be the sort of match decided by mistakes.

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren seemed to be committing just such an error in the 18th minute, when his sloppy back pass to goalkeeper Simon Mignolet gave Zlatan Ibrahimovic an opportunity. The towering Swedish striker got something on Mignolet’s clearance and the ball arced back at goal, only to settle on its roof.

On the next play, Henrikh Mkhitaryan slipped in a wonderful through ball for United teammate Paul Pogba, but the flashy Frenchman couldn’t get a clean finish on it and skipped his shot wide.

United defender Phil Jones made a shaky play on the ball in the back and lost it to Roberto Firmino in the 27th minute. Liverpool wound up winning a corner. And on that set piece, Pogba hand-balled it trying to cover Lovren, whom he had lost. James Milner smashed in the penalty kick.

For much of the game, United would have the better chances. But Mignolet denied Zlatan on a low free kick and then parried Mkhitaryan when they faced off one-on-one. Just after halftime, a zinging United attack began with the hardworking Anthony Martial. The young Frenchman won the ball and found Zlatan, who turned and dispatched Mkhitaryan on the opposite flank. But Martial couldn’t connect with his hard, low cross.

Liverpool perhaps sat too deep in the second half in an attempt to conserve its points. It had several chances on the break, though. The biggest came just after the hour when Roberto Firmino had a look on the newly healthy Coutinho’s setup. But David de Gea was equal to it. Georginio Wijnaldum could have done more with his chances as well.

For much of the game, Liverpool’s makeshift defense was stout in spite of the absence of Nathaniel Clyne, who was replaced by Trent Alexander-Arnold, an 18-year-old making his full Premier League debut on the right.

But Mourinho’s second-half insertion of Wayne Rooney, who remains in search of the goal that will make him United’s lone all-time leading scorer, paid off late in the half. In the 82nd minute, his scorching volley was saved by Mignolet. Rooney was wrongly flagged offside after the fact, by the way.

But then, the 31-year-old captain dinked in a little cross. Marouane Fellaini headed it off the far post. Antonio Valencia served it back in and Zlatan’s short header finally crossed the line.

In the end, both teams were happy not to lose a game that was hardly a classic, for all its historical resonance. But it was also a missed opportunity.

“We would like to win, of course,” Zlatan said after the game. Three points would have been welcome for both sides. Instead, they stood still for another day in their long march back to the top.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.