Monday Briefing: The Weekend In 11 Key Points

We understand it is difficult to keep up with events surrounding our great club, Manchester United, which is why Your Monday Briefing is here to provide a round-up of the weekend...

A ‘POSTIVE’ POINT AT ANFIELD
That’s how Jose Mourinho described Saturday afternoon’s 0-0 draw at historic rivals Liverpool, who had the lion’s share of the possession and shots but ultimately failed to break our in-form defence. The result means we are still unbeaten in the Premier League, but now sit two points behind leaders and local neighbours Manchester City following their remarkable 7-2 win over Stoke City.

DE GEA STOLE THE SHOW
David’s awesome display in Liverpool backed up our claim that he is the world’s best goalkeeper. He made five saves in total, but it was his first-half stop to deny Joel Matip with an outstretched boot that really caught the eye and the three-time Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year later said: “Everything happened so quickly. I put my foot out and saved the ball, so I’m happy for that.”

WHY BAILLY WAS MISSING
Jose confirmed Eric picked up an injury while representing Ivory Coast over the international break, and that is why he was not in the squad at Anfield. It remains to be seen when he will return to action.

VALENCIA IN THE 300 CLUB
With the captain’s armband proudly stretched around his formidable bicep, Antonio registered his 300th United appearance in the cauldron of Anfield and the Ecuadorian, now in his 9th season as a Red, later posted on Instagram: “Very happy to have played my 300th match with this great team. Let’s go for the main objectives!” Tony V is now joint 56th on the all-time list with Nemanja Vidic.

SMALLING ALSO REACHED 250
Chris was the second player to reach a personal milestone with the club, after appearing in the United shirt in a competitive outing for the 250th time. “A good clean sheet away from home and our unbeaten start continues,” he posted on Instagram. “Proud to have made by 250th appearance.”

MIXED RESULTS FOR THE YOUTH
United's Under-18s blazed to a sensational 6-1 win with a terrific performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Aon Training Complex on Saturday, thanks to goals from Dylan Levitt, Nishan Burkart, Aidan Barlow and a Mason Greenwood hat-trick.

On Sunday, the Under-23s slipped to a 4-2 Premier League 2 defeat in a six-goal thriller against West Ham at the London Stadium. The Reds twice led but the Hammers recovered both times and, with the help of a Toni Martinez hat-trick, claimed all three points. Luke Shaw played a full game for the youngsters.

GOAL FOR PEREIRA
Andreas scored for loan club Valencia on Sunday night, in their 6-3 La Liga win at Real Betis. It was his sixth appearance of the season, following his decision to temporarily join the Spanish club in August.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY COLE
The Reds legend celebrated his 46th birthday on Sunday and, as followers of his social media accounts will now, he's currently working hard in the gym following his kidney transplant surgery earlier this year - and everybody associated with the club is proud of his progress. Andy will travel to Portugal this week for the UEFA Champions League match against Benfica, so look out for quotes from him in the coming days.

SPEAKING OF BENFICA...
Our next opponents secured a 1-0 win over Olhanense to progress to the next round of the Portuguese club. Svilar became the club's youngest-ever goalkeeper at the age of 18 years, one month and 18 days.

HEADING TO PORTUGAL
The first-team squad will fly to Portugal this Monday afternoon and Mourinho will hold his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, moments before training at the Estádio da Luz. The game will kick off at 19:45 BST on Wednesday night, with live coverage beginning on MUTV at 17:45.