Astana 0-0 Atletico Madrid: Simeone's men held in Kazakhstan

Atletico failed to break down the hosts, meaning they could be overtaken by Benfica at the top of Champions League Group C

Atletico Madrid were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by a spirited Astana side in Tuesday's Champions League clash at the Astana Arena.

Diego Simeone's side held top spot heading into Group C's early kick-off and could have pulled three points ahead of Benfica with victory in Kazakhstan.

Koke struck the woodwork in both halves but Atletico toiled too often in possession against a well-disciplined home side.

Fernando Torres - chasing his 100th Atleti goal - also spurned a good chance and Antoine Griezmann came close in the second half, but Astana held on for a famous point which keeps alive their hopes of at least battling for a Europa League spot by finishing third.

Astana, in their maiden Champions League campaign, now have two points from their four matches following a 2-2 home draw with Galatasary on matchday two.

Tiago came close early on for Atletico with a blocked effort inside the area but Astana, roared on by a vociferous home crowd, denied them any real rhythm in the opening 25 minutes.

Junior Kabananga's scuffed volley from 20 yards forced Jan Oblak into a save but chances were few and far between in the opening half-hour, until Torres stole in behind Evgeny Postnikov following Juanfran's long ball and prodded wide across goal.

Koke looped an effort onto the crossbar with a free-kick just before half-time but Atletico otherwise struggled to find a way past a stubborn home side.

Diego Godin glanced a header straight into Nenad Eric's hands and Tiago dragged a shot wide from 20 yards as Atletico began to turn up the pressure after the interval.

Simeone threw on Jackson Martinez in an effort to break through a robust defensive line but Atletico's build-up play on the synthetic turf was too often laboured or undone by wayward passes.

Griezmann, who had been quiet throughout, fizzed a low shot just wide of the far post after a neat one-two with Koke, before the Spain midfielder almost got lucky with a looped cross from the left that bounced off the top of the bar.

Eric saved down low from Jose Gimenez's header as Atleti began to push further forward as Astana legs grew tired, and the 2013-14 finalists almost snatched the victory with the last kick of the game, as Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco collected Griezmann's cross and shot across goal, only for the goalkeeper to claim well low to his left.

But Astana held on for a famous point and restored some pride following their 4-0 defeat in Madrid on matchday three.

Draws Show Diego Simeone Must Rely More on Atletico Madrid's Varied Attack

Atletico Madrid missed a big chance to move closer to Champions League qualification for the knock-out phase on Tuesday night as they could only manage a 0-0 draw in Kazakhstan against Astana.

With seven points from four games, Atleti now sit in second place in the group—but with tough fixtures away to Benfica and at home toGalatasaray still to come.

Had they taken a win at Astana, only another point would realistically be needed from the last two games to assure progress and first place would still have been an option, but Atleti now need a positive result to keep the Turkish side at bay next time out.

Manager Diego Simeone, unhappy with his team's attacking play on the night, perhaps needs to be more forceful and reliant on his team's versatile methods of attack, rather than playing with a more withdrawn and safety-first XI, which has seen Atletico draw both their last two games when wins should have been taken.

Astana

A midfield quartet of Koke, Saul, Tiago and Gabi—those chosen against Astana—offered plenty of running, closing down, technique on the ball and tactical awareness, but little in the way of capacity to break lines by beating opponents one-on-one or showing a turn of pace to really punish teams on the counter-attack.

It was telling that Atletico's best spell in the game, when more chances were created and real danger came with any frequency, was in the final 20 minutes—once changes had been made and the likes of Oliver Torres and Yannick Carrasco entered as substitutes.

There was no real need to go with all four quite similar options in the middle line; sure, Saul deserved a run-out, and this was probably an ideal time to bring him in, but he could have either replaced Koke as the flank-to-infield option or else Simeone could have rested one of his starting veteran central midfielders.

Astana didn't have any trouble in repelling the slow, methodical build-up those four supplied, and the front two of Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres—later replaced by Jackson Martinez—lacked support or runners beyond them.

Carrasco, Oliver

Belgian winger Carrasco, so effective against Valencia and also impressive in the first half against Deportivo La Coruna on Friday, was the catalyst for Atleti's improvement and he twice went close to scoring, but the Spanish side simply didn't create enough clear openings.

Per Marca, Simeone was critical of a lack of invention in the final third:

We carved out three or four good goalscoring chances which we failed to put away. But no blame. 

We obviously have to be better going forward. We need to be surer of ourselves in the final third.

I told the lads the same, that we're doing well and that whoever loses their nerve, loses the game.

That has to go down, at least in part, to his decisions, though; not only was it this game which saw a lack of chances created until Carrascoand Oliver came on to reshape the midfield alignment, but also the second half against Depor.

Having dominated entirely in the Liga match on Friday night, Simeonetook off Carrasco and Martinez and replaced them with Angel Correaand Saul, lessening the impact in the final third by both numbers and direct running.

Depor's equaliser might have been a freak incident after JosemaGimenez's mistake, but the change from an offensive pattern of play still led to the increased pressure Atleti came under in the second half.

Two from Five

Atleti's usual 4-4-2 has mainly seen Griezmann paired up with either of Jackson or Fernando Torres from the start, with the other inevitably used as substitute this term.

Both have had their moments of form and Correa has also briefly begun to shine. Luciano Vietto also awaits his first big impact, having struggled for game time due to a poor start to the season and a recent illness.

With so many offensive options, Simeone has to begin focusing on killing off matches earlier on by using the huge armoury at his disposal.

Of course, Atleti have to decide to shut up shop from time to time—and as good as they usually are in defence, why wouldn't they back themselves to do so?

Against these significantly lesser opponents, though, the focus should very much be on getting the win wrapped up, and then making alterations to improve the balance and defensive nature of the team.

Atletico can challenge the very best on a game-to-game basis, but with the talent and value of his final-third players ready to be unleashed,Simeone must start ensuring the team see off opponents with greater consistency to have a chance of landing the biggest prizes.

Griezmann the yardstick for Vietto

Atlético Madrid had no qualms about splashing out €20 million on Luciano Vietto. His 20 goals for Villarreal -12 in La Liga and eight in the Europa League- in his first season in Europe were enough to persuade the 'Rojiblancos' that the exciting forward is a star in the making.

Diego Simeone was one of the driving forces behind the swoop for Vietto. 'El Cholo' was delighted to be reunited with the youngster, whom he gave his debut back at Racing Club. And yet two rounds of league fixtures have been and gone and Vietto has not been utilised. The Argentine is not yet quite up to speed physically which, coupled with the fierce competition up front - Antoine Griezmann, Jackson Martínez, Fernando Torres and Ángel Correa are also in the mix - has left him rooted to the bench.

The club is drawing parallels with Griezmann. Last term, the Frenchman, who is now undeniably Atlético's main man, began life at the Calderón on the fringes. Indeed, he warmed the bench for five of the club's first ten competitive games and didn't play the full 90 minutes until their 26th match of the season, against Athletic in late December.

That clash against the Basque giants was a turning point. Griezmann netted a hat-trick and embarked on a rich vein of form that would see him end the campaign as the club's top scorer with 25 goals - 22 in the league, one in the Copa del Rey and two in the Champions League.

The 'Rojiblancos' hierarchy are optimistic that it will be a similar story with Vietto once he is able to bed in. They continue to have the highest hopes for the 21-year-old, who has amply shown his talent.

Five Greatest Liverpool vs Manchester United Matches Featuring the Reds’ 4-1 win in 2009

Manchester United versus Liverpool is the most trophy-laden rivalry in English football, having won the League title more than any other team in the country. Both teams will go head-to-head on Saturday at Old Trafford, hoping to kick start their season with a win. Undoubtedly the most anticipated fixture in the football calendar, with everything at stake – quite simply, defeat is not an option. We look back at 5 memorable matches between the great rivals.

Manchester United vs Liverpool

Liverpool 2-1 Man United, Milk Cup Final 1983

Before Carling and Capital One, there was Milk. With almost 100,000 fans in attendance during the Milk Cup Final, Ron Atkinson was looking to win his first trophy as the Red Devil’s manager.

This was also Bob Paisley’s last major final in charge of Liverpool and his team gave him a fitting farewell after coming back from behind to win the Cup. United took the lead after Norman Whiteside’s early opener but Alan Kennedy scored late in the game to stretch the match into extra time, before Ronnie Whelan scored a superb goal to seal Liverpool’s third consecutive League Cup.

Liverpool 3-3 Manchester United, Premier League 1994

Liverpool produced one of the great Premier League comebacks against a United team managed by Alex Ferguson in 1994. United took a 3-0 lead within the first 24 minutes only to see their lead wiped out by an astonishing turnaround.

With United up 3 goals to nil, Liverpool looked completely devastated at their home ground but two goals by Nigel Clough turned the game on its head, with United holding on Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock headed in a dramatic equalizer which led to wild celebrations in the stands.

Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United, Premier League 2008

Ryan Babel was hardly a fan favorite during his time at Anfield but he did have this one glorious moment against Manchester United for which he will be remembered forever after. Carlos Tevez had given the visitors the lead after debutant Dimitar Berbatov found him unmarked in the box but the celebrations soon turned sour after Edwin Van der Sar palmed an attempted clearance against Wes Brown and saw it roll in for the equaliser.

With the clock ticking down Javier Mascherano stole the ball away from Ryan Giggs and Babel turned in Dirk Kuyt’s subsequent pass to Rafa Benitez his first victory over Manchester United that too without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Fernando Torres

Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool, Premier League 2009

Though United were the defending Champions and League leaders at the time, this match was surely Liverpool’s finest performance at Old Trafford in recent history. A motivated Liverpool side took apart United to breathe some life back into hopes of a first league title in the Premier League era.

Cristiano Ronaldo had given the home side the lead from the penalty spot but soon but Fernando Torres capitalised on an uncharacteristic mistake from Nemanja Vidic to equal the score. Steven Gerrard put Liverpool ahead with a penalty before another Vidic error saw the defender sent off. An audacious Fabio Aurelio free-kick and Andrea Dossena’s lob over Edwin van der Sar completed the rout.

Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool, Premier League 2014

David Moye’s time at United was filled with major disappointments but few could match the depths of quite like this performance against Liverpool in March last year. Liverpool dominated the game from the start but only managed to take the lead after Gerrard converted from the spot following a Rafael handball.

Steven Gerrard

Soon after the restart, Liverpool won another penalty after Phil Jones clumsily fouled Joe Allen in the box and Steven Gerrard matched his result from the previous penalty. The Liverpool captain though did miss one penalty later in the game but Luiz Suarez soon added a third anyway.

THEY’VE won the English title more than any other teams and lifted the European Cup more often than anyone else in the land too. Liverpool v Manchester United is as big as it gets.

But before the two face each other on Sunday morning from 2.15am AEST on Fox Sports 503, which games stand out?

We look back at 10 memorable Premier League matches between the great rivals …

MANCHESTER UNITED 2-2 LIVERPOOL IN 1992

The first game between the two teams since the advent of the EPL came in October 1992 at Old Trafford, pitting Sir Alex Ferguson’s United against Graeme Souness’ Liverpool. The visitors looked set for a win too when Don Hutchison’s deflected strike gave them the lead and Ian Rush later doubled the advantage with his 287th goal — surpassing Roger Hunt’s club record.

But United produced the sort of comeback that was to typify their decade. With 12 minutes remaining Mark Hughes came up with a wonderful lobbed volley after substitute Clayton Blackmore chipped the ball into his path. Hughes then seized upon a Ryan Giggs pass to equalise in the final minute and earn United an unlikely point. Even Ferguson admitted it was fortunate: “We didn’t play particularly well and perhaps we didn’t deserve a point.”

Souness was frustrated: “With a bit more ringcraft and fieldcraft we would probably have won,” he said.

But it was to prove an indicator of what was to come. The previous season had been the first since 1968 that United had finished above Liverpool and 1992-93 saw them go one better and win the title for the first time since 1967. Liverpool eventually finished sixth for a second successive season — their joint lowest finish in 28 years.

LIVERPOOL 3-3 MANCHESTER UNITED IN 1994

Liverpool produced one of the great EPL comebacks in an iconic encounter from the 1993-94 season. United took a three-goal lead midway through the first half only to see their advantage wiped out by astonishing turnaround. As Jamie Redknapp recalls, that didn’t look on the cards when Steve Bruce headed United in front from Eric Cantona’s cross.

“The first quarter of the game was a nightmare for us,” Redknapp told Sky Sports. “Bruce had already scored, and then I gave a short pass back to Mark Wright, and Giggs went round him and chipped a goal in for United’s second. We were all struggling. We were soon 3-0 down and in a fixture of that enormity, you want the ground to swallow you up. You’re at home to your biggest rivals, and you’re getting outclassed.”

Two goals by Nigel Clough turned the game on its head and with the visitors holding on, Neil Ruddock headed in a dramatic equaliser to send Anfield wild with delight. “When we got back to 3-2, you could sense the crowd knew something special was happening,” added Redknapp. “It really was an amazing night. The atmosphere was fierce. It makes your hair stand on end.”

MANCHESTER UNITED 2-2 LIVERPOOL IN 1995

This fixture marked the return of Eric Cantona after serving an eight-month suspension for his infamous kung-fu kick.

Typically, he had an immediate impact — just 67 seconds into the game, to be precise — in crossing for Nicky Butt to open the scoring. Robbie Fowler threatened to spoil the comeback with goals either side of half-time but when Jamie Redknapp was adjudged to have fouled Giggs, Cantona had the final word from the penalty spot.

Liverpool boss Roy Evans was unimpressed by referee David Elleray’s role: “It is a sad story when the referee thinks he has equal billing with Eric Cantona,” said Evans. “I thought Cantona passed the test but the referee did not. We deserved more than we got. We lost two points on a dodgy decision.”

Ferguson just seemed relieved the drama was over. “Eric did well,” he said. “He’s tired, of course, but he can be pleased with his performance. And the hype’s over, thank goodness.”

LIVERPOOL 2-3 MANCHESTER UNITED IN 1999

Once is misfortune but twice is carelessness. Jamie Carragher will not have fond memories of this Anfield defeat in 1999 after twice beating his own goalkeeper. The Liverpool defender headed beyond Sander Westerveld inside three minutes and when Andy Cole netted from a trademark David Beckham free-kick things looked routine for the league and European champions.

But Massimo Taibi, otherwise impressive on debut in the United goal, gave Liverpool a route back when he failed to claim a free-kick and Sami Hyypia pulled one back. A second Carragher own-goal from another Beckham free-kick restored United’s two-goal lead but when Patrik Berger scored and Cole received a second yellow for taking a swipe at Rigobert Song, it made for a grandstand finish. Substitute Michael Owen did toe-poke just wide but the comeback was to no avail.

MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 LIVERPOOL IN 2006

Despite featuring a last-minute winner for Manchester United courtesy of a Rio Ferdinand header, this was a game more noteworthy for the bad blood that followed. Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea won the title that year but this fixture isn’t all about trophies as Gary Neville’s actions showed.

The United full-back’s decision to run the length of the field to celebrate the winner in front of the visiting Liverpool fans caused controversy. Neville was unapologetic.

“I would have been apologetic if I’d run up to one of their players and tried to belittle them but this was a celebration,” he told the Times. “What are you meant to do? Smile sweetly and jog back to the halfway line?”

Monday Night Football colleague Jamie Carragher had a different view. “I think there is a line and Neville crossed it. I’ve heard people say it’s justified because he gets a lot of stick from our fans but the truth is he gets stick as he’s been doing that for years.”

LIVERPOOL 2-1 MANCHESTER UNITED IN 2008

Ryan Babel’s time at Anfield was far from glorious but he did have this moment — a late Anfield winner against Manchester United — to cherish. Ryan Giggs was robbed by Javier Mascherano and Babel turned in Dirk Kuyt’s subsequent pass to give Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez earned his first Premier League win over United despite the absence of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Carlos Tevez had given the visitors the lead after turning in a pull back from United debutant Dimitar Berbatov but things soon turned sour for them when Edwin van der Sar palmed an attempted clearance against Wes Brown and saw it roll in for the equaliser. There was no way back from Babel’s winner with Nemanja Vidic capping a miserable afternoon by seeing red late on.

MANCHESTER UNITED 1-4 LIVERPOOL IN 2009

Manchester United were the defending champions and league leaders at the time but found themselves taken apart at Old Trafford by a motivated Liverpool team. Cristiano Ronaldo had given the home side the lead from the penalty spot but Fernando Torres forced a mistake from Nemanja Vidic soon after and United capitulated.

Steven Gerrard put Liverpool ahead — also with a penalty — before inducing another Vidic error that saw the defender sent off.

Fabio Aurelio curled home the resulting free-kick, before Andrea Dossena capped an amazing afternoon for Liverpool by lobbing Edwin van der Sar. Ferguson was less than magnanimous: “I thought we were the better team, but the score doesn’t reflect that,” he said.

Rafa Benitez preferred to look ahead. “If we are going to win the title we are going to need three points from every game and United to drop some more.” It didn’t happen and Liverpool fell four points short.

MANCHESTER UNITED 3-2 LIVERPOOL IN 2010

Dimitar Berbatov’s career at United began with a defeat to Liverpool and that seemed to set the tone for the following two seasons in which he scored just 26 goals in 86 appearances. But things improved at the start of the 2010-11 campaign, with Berbatov scoring in four of his first five appearances. Finally he was in form and he duly put United two goals up against Liverpool in the early season derby game.

Gerrard threatened to scupper things, scoring a penalty to pull one back and then levelling the scores with 20 minutes remaining courtesy of a 20-yard free-kick. But Berbatov completed his hat-trick — the first by a United player against Liverpool since 1946 — when he rose above Jamie Carragher to convert John O’Shea’s cross. It felt like the moment from which the mercurial forward would go on to justify his vast price tag.

“You must persevere and trust your judgment, you must have faith, and I think we are being rewarded this season for our confidence in him,” said Ferguson afterwards. In a sense, Berbatov delivered. The Bulgarian finished the season as the Premier League joint-top scorer. But Ferguson failed to live by his own words — choosing to omit Berbatov from his squad for the 2011 Champions League Final against Barcelona at the end of that season.

LIVERPOOL 3-1 MANCHESTER UNITED IN 2011

Dirk Kuyt was the unlikely hat-trick hero for Liverpool as he became the first Liverpool player to score a treble against Manchester United since Peter Beardsley in 1990. Luis Suarez was the catalyst for all three goals as Liverpool got the better of a United side unexpectedly faltering in their push for the Premier League title.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men had been unbeaten in 23 games at the start of the league season but this was their third reverse in a month and second in a week to allow Arsenal to close within three points with a game in hand. The Red Devils held on to claim the title but this Anfield result marked a memorable high point in Kenny Dalglish’s second spell in charge.

MANCHESTER UNITED 0-3 LIVERPOOL IN 2014

David Moyes’ time in charge of Manchester United was littered with lows but few plumbed the depths quite like this miserable surrender against Liverpool in March. The visitors dominated early on and finally took the lead in front of the Stretford End when Rafael’s handball allowed Gerrard to open the scoring from the spot. Soon after the restart, Phil Jones clumsily fouled Joe Allen and Gerrard converted again.

The Liverpool skipper might have made it a hat-trick of penalties but squandered the opportunity when Vidic was adjudged to have fouled Daniel Sturridge — and was sent off for his troubles too — but Luis Suarez soon added a third anyway.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Wayne Rooney. “It’s one of the worst days I’ve ever had in football.” Moyes, meanwhile, had an admission: “I think the job was always going to be hard but if you are asking me is it harder than I thought, I would say so, yes.” He was sacked the following month.