A giant yellow gritter patrolled the car parks around Anfield on Sunday afternoon and banks of snow lined the touchlines inside the stadium as rain and sleet steadily fell in the bitter cold of a January battle between England's football giants.

There have been times in the past decade or more when supporting Manchester United must have felt like being trapped in endless winter as they chase former glories but on this occasion, at least, Ruben Amorim and his team played as if they were dancing in the sunshine.

United had come into the game with Amorim saying that they were 'afraid' and on a run that was breaking new records for defeats and mediocrity. They resembled a rabble in their defeat to Newcastle last week as they were sucked into a relegation battle.

Most expected them to be cut to pieces by a Liverpool team that is racing away with the title but a different United turned up instead. Amorim had called for leaders in his team and in this rousing, relentless, end-to-end 2-2 draw, he got a whole bunch of them.

Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo were immense in midfield, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt were heroic at the back and Amad Diallo scored another goal in another big game. When they went behind in the second half, United refused to buckle.

Ipswich Town's draw at Fulham earlier in the afternoon meant United had started the game only six points above the bottom three but if they play anything like this in their remaining fixtures, they will move steadily away from any hint of danger.

For the first time in a while, they played like a side their supporters could be proud of. And if there have been times in the past couple of months where it has seemed Amorim was struggling to reach his players, this was the first sign that they have begun to listen to him. They were the better team here. If anyone deserved to win, it was them.

Liverpool were disappointing. United deserve some of the credit for that, of course, but the home side fell well below the standards they have set this season even if the game was lit up by a fine strike from Cody Gakpo and a penalty from Mo Salah that provoked an emotional response from the Egypt forward.

Liverpool are still six points clear at the top of the Premier League but this match showed that they are not beyond vulnerability. The murmurs of discontent around Trent Alexander-Arnold's future grew and may yet become an issue for manager Arne Slot but the leaders still took a point and still produced some stunning moments of football.

This was United's day, though. Particularly as they had lost five of their last six games in the league and are 23 points behind Liverpool having played one game more and have not won at Anfield since January 2016 when Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the game. They had not even scored here since 2018.

Amorim made changes to United's starting line-up. He didn't have much choice after the way they were cut to pieces by Newcastle last week. He brought in Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes returned from suspension. United may still have been lacking inspiration but their midfield looked immediately stronger.

Amid the sound and the fury, it took 13 minutes for either side to create even the hint of a chance. Alexander-Arnold slammed a shot goalwards and when it was blocked back out to him, he squared it for Luis Diaz, who fired high over the bar.

A minute later, Liverpool had a better chance. Ryan Gravenberch played a delicious pass inside a defender and Cody Gakpo flicked it over Andre Onana as he rushed out but just wide of the far post.

Liverpool were purring now. Salah cut in from the right and floated a delicate cross into the path of Alexis Mac Allister. Mac Allister took it in his stride and half-volleyed it at goal but it was too close to Onana and he saved it with his legs.

Reprieved, United nearly scored with their first attack. Diogo Dalot beat offside and escaped down the left. He curled a cross over for Amad Diallo, who was alone in the centre, but Dalot's cross was just behind Diallo, who could only direct his header away from goal.

Gravenberch produced a beautiful piece of skill to let the ball run across him and ease away from Mainoo midway inside the United half. He took a few steps forward and unleashed a fizzing drive that beat Onana but sped just wide of his right-hand post.

United stayed in the game, though. They did not wilt. Mainoo and Ugarte very much held their own in midfield and for all the roars of encouragement from the Anfield faithful, there were gasps of dismay, too, when Liverpool attacks broke down.

Four minutes before the break, United should have opened the scoring. Rasmus Hojlund sprung Liverpool's offside trap with a clever run and bore down on Alisson. Hojlund tried to clip the ball past the goalkeeper but Alisson stood up to him and blocked his shot with his chest. Hojlund stared disconsolately at the turf. He knew he had missed a golden chance.

The chance, though, was a sign that United's confidence was gradually building and seven minutes after half-time they took the lead that their play deserved but which few had expected they could ever attain.

Alexander-Arnold's relationship with the Liverpool supporters is at a delicate stage as Real Madrid step up their pursuit of his signature and there had been murmurs of criticism aimed at him before he gave the ball away on the edge of the Liverpool area.

Fernandes collected it and went past Alexander-Arnold easily before finding Lisandro Martinez with a clever reverse pass. Martinez took a touch and then rifled an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net in front of the travelling United fans.

Those supporters have been starved of moments like this and they celebrated with wild abandon with their players. Diallo was so ecstatic he was booked for the scale of his exultations.

But United's lead only lasted for seven minutes. Gakpo got the ball on the left and allowed De Ligt to sell himself with a rash, sliding challenge. Gakpo cut on to his right foot and curled a brilliant finish beyond Onana and into the top corner.

Liverpool finally had some momentum now and they soon capitalised on it. Midway through the half, the ball was flicked on in the United box and hit the raised hand of De Ligt. Referee Michael Oliver went to VAR and awarded the penalty.

Salah took it. He ignored prolonged attempts to put him off from Onana and Martinez and buried the ball low to the goalkeeper's left in front of the Kop. Onana guessed correctly but he had no chance of keeping it out.

It was Salah's 21st goal of another outstanding individual season and he milked the adulation of the home fans. Salah has said that he will not be at Liverpool next season as his contract negotiations hit stalemate and he is focussed on wringing every moment of enjoyment from this season. He sat on the turf in front of the Kop and drank in the applause.

Salah has now scored 13 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances against United and the strike took him to 175 Premier League goals and joint seventh in the all-time list, level with Thierry Henry.

Still United refused to wilt. Those expecting a collapse were sorely disappointed. They attacked down the Liverpool right again and substitute Alejandro Garnacho cut the ball back to Diallo, who turned a low shot past Alisson.

Darwin Nunez was fortunate not to be sent off for a shocking challenge on De Ligt before Onana made two excellent saves in quick succession to keep out fierce drives from Diogo Jota and Conor Bradley. Two minutes later, Virgil van Dijk stooped to try to nod home a flick-on from a corner but could not get enough power on his header.

United should have won the game in the last minute of the seven added on when Joshua Zirkzee squared the ball for Maguire who lifted the ball over the bar from ten yards out with only Alisson to beat. Few outside Liverpool would have begrudged the visitors a win.