OK, that will do for tonight. Thanks for staying with us from the start, when for a little while this game seemed to be in jeopardy again amid further protests outside Old Trafford. It definitely happened, though, and Liverpool are the ones happy about that. Stay close to the site for quotes and reaction – thanks for your company!

Here is a match report for you, filed directly from Old Trafford! It comes from the great David Hytner:

Stream of consciousness alert: I had absolutely no idea that Nat Phillips is 24. What a late blossoming from him!

Roy Keane is – you’ll be shocked – annoyed about United’s mentality.

Phillips is being interviewed and is very pleased that – a little generously, to me – United’s opener was credited to Fernandes and now him.

“Something to build from and learn from,” he adds of the game itself. “We started too slow, we can’t do that in the future games but we take confidence from it.”

Here is a story from Jamie Jackson and Alex Mistlin on (and from) today’s protests:

Obvious “bet the fans wish they’d got it called off again” comment. Those looked more like the Liverpool and Uniteds of past seasons. Solskjaer’s side should still come second; Liverpool are four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with an extra game to play. With West Brom, Burnley and Palace coming up, they have a decent run-in ...

“Very generous to Dean Henderson to say Salah gave him the eyes - everything about Salah’s body shape showed where that ball was going. Man Utd need a world class keeper and it doesn’t look like he’ll ever be that,” writes Dan C.

It was certainly a shaky performance from Henderson. Didn’t cover himself in glory for the first or third goals, as I recall.

90+2 min: We’ll see four added minutes, then Liverpool can celebrate in earnest. They know they’ve won this now. Neco Williams replaces Salah for the dying moments.

89 min: Phillips slices a clearance and is very lucky it flies in Alisson’s direction. Rashford would have been through otherwise. United are running out of time.

86 min: Now Cavani is booked for a late one on Thiago. During the break in play Matic comes on for the knackered Bailly, who of course started on Tuesday too.

85 min: Plenty of United possession now, but no clear chances since that Greenwood effort off the line. Liverpool spring upfield again but Firmino’s cross is very poor.

83 min: Liverpool have managed to stem the flow of United attacks in recent minutes. They are getting closer to the win they need, although there’s still a lot to do.

80 min: McTominay is booked for what was actually a slightly nasty one on Fabinho’s shin. VAR confirms the contact was not enough for a red. He then appears to haul Mane down around the box but nothing is given, to Klopp’s incredulity.

79 min: ... which he wastes, floating it a yard or so over.

78 min: Thiago blocks a Fernandes drive with his trailing hand and now United have a free-kick just outside the ‘D’ and very, very central. This is a cracking position for the Portuguese whizz ...

76 min: And Rashford then cuts in from the left but wastefully hits the side netting. Heck of a game now, this.

75 min: Mane is immediately played in by the *brilliant* Alexander-Arnold but can’t quite nick the ball past an alert Henderson.

74 min: Yet another Shaw corner. Lindelof gets up round the back but his header is weak. Salah springs upfield in retaliation but his shot is wayward. Two Liverpool changes now: Wijnaldum and Jota are replaced by Jones and Mane.

71 min: Off the line! Greenwood tries to stab Fernandes’s blocked effort in at the far post but Phillips is back to clear at the last. Eventually Liverpool scramble the ball behind and they defend the subsequent corner uneasily, too. United have a lease of life!

70 min: Game on, now. United had immediately looked livelier with Greenwood’s introduction. Alexander-Arnold lashes over as Liverpool try to restore their two-goal margin.

67 min: Another Shaw corner is defended well. Liverpool look to break but Wan-Bissaka makes a nicely timed tackle on Jota.

66 min: Greenwood wins a corner. Feels like an age since I’ve mentioned Cavani’s name – in fact it’s since his early chance – which tells you how little he’s been involved. Neither he nor any of his teammates can get a head on Shaw’s set piece.

63 min: Fred, who has not done well, is replaced by Greenwood as Solskjaer looks to perk things up.

62 min: But Liverpool are picking them open at will and the rampant Alexander-Arnold, appearing on the left now, has a good opening but allows Henderson to awkwardly save his drive.

61 min: Dangerous free-kick to United, a little outside the box and to the left. Can they work their way back in? No, Williams defends it well.

59 min: Jota smacks the woodwork! Number four seems inevitable as Liverpool beautifully carve through United on the break, but Jota whacks the frame so hard that I couldn’t actually tell if it hit post or bar. A replay has just told me he thudded the upright.

58 min: “Since scoring the opener United have been second best and I’m not talking about their position in the table,” sniggers Peter Oh.

Not a lot happening out there currently, although Rashford has taken a clattering from Williams.

55 min: “I love to see teams punished for farting around at the back without good cause,” writes Phil Haran. “When a team presses like Liverpool do it is stupid to try and faff around. Get it into the middle of the park quickly and then look for passes.”

There’s a time and a place, I’d agree, and too many teams appear to ignore the risk v reward factor and play out unnecessarily because they seem to feel they *have* to.

54 min: If anything you’d back Liverpool to get a fourth here. United are operating with no intensity at all.

51 min: A lot of discussions about whether the injured Harry Maguire would have made this United defence better. I think the conclusion is a resounding “YES”.

49 min: “No wonder the United fans didn’t want to see their team play these,” chuckles Phil Grey.

United have fallen apart here, that’s for sure.

Interesting detail on that Liverpool coach drama from earlier ...

Half-time reading: Paul Doyle’s report from Villa v Everton!

Hugh Molloy isn’t pleased with Pogba: “Gives away the free-kick needlessly then loses his man, Firmino, who scores. Such a frustrating player.”

45+3 min: Fernandes looks OK. Liverpool now have a fairly dangerous-looking free-kick on the right and ...

45+1 min: Pogba gets another bit of space but a tame shot is cleared. There’ll be a stoppage as Fernandes is down, seemingly having picked up a knock while trying to smash the loose ball from that effort towards goal.

44 min: The quiet Rashford tries to pick a path through, but is dispossessed. United are trying to wrest back some initiative before the break.

43 min: On Jota, Patrick Crumlish emails –

“I know the focus has been on the centre-back injuries, especially Virgil, but I feel top four would have been wrapped up long ago for Liverpool if Jota hadn’t been injured in what was a complete dead rubber against Midtyjlland. Needed someone to score one or two goals in those 1-0 defeats, would be a very different season.”

41 min: Much better though, as Pogba tricks through into the inside-left side of the area and lashes a shot that skims the side netting.

40 min: United won’t be displeased to go in at 1-1, I reckon. Liverpool have controlled this from the moment I said the hosts looked physically dominant ...

38 min: I make that Jota’s ninth league goal for Liverpool in 18 appearances, a third of which have come from the bench. He’s been superb when he’s played.

36 min: Liverpool come again immediately and win another corner. This one is cleared more resolutely.

34 min: Ooh, Henderson flips Jota’s fierce volley over the bar after the forward had cleverly teed himself up from a Robertson pass. Henderson then half-clears the corner, Salah has an effort blocked, United still can’t clear and ...

32 min: Pogba loops a header across goal but wide. Conceding another now would be sickening for Liverpool. United have not especially looked like adding to the opener.

30 min: We’ve seen a few of those awarded by the slow-mos recently, where someone clears the ball and makes contact in following through. This one didn’t seem a pen to me and this time the slow mo was right.

25 min: What a shame there are no fans in the ground (with emphasis on *in*). This fixture shouldn’t be played behind closed doors. What a fillip that we should be getting decent numbers of supporters back inside grounds from next week – I can’t wait. Big testament to the work of many people in slowing the pandemic: I had my first Pfizer jab today as it happens, thank you to our wonderful, indispensable NHS.

Liverpool win a corner and ...

24 min: Henderson is out very well to stop Jota nicking a beautifully weighted Alexander-Arnold delivery past him.

22 min: United look physically strong today, I’d say that, and they’re dominating in that area. Wouldn’t have been the case if many of these guys had faced Leicester.

20 min: “On that subject, I also would have liked to see significant point deductions for all the ESL signatories. Give Leicester another title for the ages and let there be fit punishment for that distinctly anti-competitive act,” writes Matt Richman.

Signs Liverpool are getting a few things together here but they haven’t really exposed United since that early Firmino sight.

18 min: Getting quite a lot of pro-points deduction emails actually, off the back of Geoff Saunders’ missive. And quite a lot of anti. It’s a 50/50 split I’d say, which is closer than I’d expected.

16 min: “I suspect OGS has won over a lot of Man Utd fans with his team selections this week,” emails Tim Smith. Am I right that most Man Utd fans would rather hand the title to Man City than have Liverpool qualify for Champions League?”

As we speak, Liverpool press but Robertson crosses too high for Jota.

14 min: McTominay blocks a shot from the jinking Salah. It’s a good, open start here.

Re the Firmino penalty shout.

13 min: What a big goal that could prove to be. Did Phillips really need to stick his leg out there? I guess he couldn’t see whether Alisson had the shot covered, plus the flight of the ball was hard to judge. Either way, it’s given Liverpool a mountain to climb already.

8 min: “It is not much use saying ‘they kick left to right’ in text commentary. We can’t see from which side you’re looking at it from,” complains Cillian.

Oh, OK, I thought it might help you imagine as if watching on telly. But you guys are the boss.

5 min: Bizarre from Alisson, who presents the ball straight to Cavani and is fortunate the striker drags his shot wide as he scurries back towards goal!

4 min: Early chance for Firmino, who is released in the box and shoots a little late perhaps, Bailly blocking. Liverpool want a handball but it struck Bailly’s limb after ricocheting off another part of his body. The corner comes to nought.

1 min: “Why do all you journalists covering man utd matches insist on posting anti Utd emails. Pack it in!” writes pjobrennan under the subject header “Bias”.

This rabidly biased Ipswich Town fan will take your words onboard.

There are players on the pitch – we will soon have football!

“When will Manchester United be punished for their fans causing the original game to be called off?” asks Geoff Saunders. “The precedents are very clear with point deductions and fines applied to every other side; why not Manchester Utd?

“They are responsible for the behaviour of their fans, every precedent has shown that – why do they get off scot free, as if they are the victims in fact?”

Just to confirm, this match is going to start on time. Eight or nine minutes to go.

Everton have drawn 0-0 at Villa. That means the Toffees are a point behind Liverpool, although Klopp’s side are about to play their game in hand ...

Brian Laithwaite writes:

“Just shows you how the Glazers still don’t get it. Whatever United do has to be the best. Look how they have treated the women’s team, poor facilities etc. This should have been sorted out before the team was set up, not as an afterthought. Casey Stoney was going a great job, now she is leaving because of the inequalities of facilities for the women’s team. A lot of the girls joined the team because of her and her plans for the team, now how many will leave ?”

The crowd is noticeably thinner now with one fan saying he’s off to find a pub to watch the game! Fans are clearly disappointed that they’ve been unable to prevent the game going ahead and those who’ve stayed are clearly growing tense. A few have started throwing bottles and flare canisters at the police line.

There is some other football going on and it’s of some consequence to Liverpool actually. Aston Villa are holding Everton to a goalless draw with seven minutes or so left.

Solskjaer on those changes: “Tuesday was the big change for us. This is a team that’s played a lot of games for us and only Eric [Bailly] played the full game on Tuesday so it shouldn’t be a problem, carry on as normal.

“My players are very, very focused to show what kind of team we are, just glad we can play a game of football.”

Klopp is asked about on any changes to his approach, compared with 11 days ago: “[LONG PAUSE] No, because it was clear that we had to win and that didn’t change. You see the lineup of United, top team, really good setup, it’ll be a proper football game.”

The crowd has walked back round to outside the East Stand. Still lots of people here but some of the energy has died down now word has got round that the Liverpool bus is inside the ground.

Actual footballer Diogo Jota speaks words: “We said we need to do our job to think about getting a Champions League spot. We need other teams to drop points but we still need to do our job today. It’s really important for us and for the season, and for next season as well. We need to play to win, do our best and take our chances.”

Hello. So we do have a game, it appears. As Michael has told you, there are pitch walks being ... errm ... walked and match preparations being made. The protests will continue outside Old Trafford, as far as we can tell – some reports say it’s still peaceful but starting to assume a little bit of an edge now that the game is taking place after all.

As things stand, we’re still heading for a 8.15pm BST kick-off, although it would not be a surprise to see the kick-off delayed. I’m going to hand over now to Nick Ames, who will cover the rest of the build-up and the match itself. Cheers!

Sadio Mané is walking the Old Trafford pitch with Shaqiri in his training gear. They both look fairly relaxed.

The large crowd outside the East Stand has dissipated. The fans have marched around the other side of the stadium, and there are now more police than supporters.

Roy Keane on Sky Sports:

Manchester United fans are not done with this, we saw some protests a few weeks ago, but I think there is still a lot to come. The concern is that when the fans can come back to the stadium, you could have 70,000 fans showing up at Old Trafford, frustrated with what happened. Things can get much worse.”

Graeme Souness, meanwhile, is talking absolute gibberish. He seems to be a very confused man, and seems to hold a strange reverence for the Glazer family. Incoherent ramblings by a man who doesn’t seem to understand what the fans are actually protesting. “They are powerful people” he says of the Manchester United owners.

The Manchester Evening News is reporting that the Manchester United players drove themselves to the stadium and that two team buses did dummy runs between their own hotel and the stadium in a bid to throw off protesters.

We are not entirely sure where the Liverpool team is, and if they are in the Liverpool bus. The hotel they were staying at is about two miles from Old Trafford.

Manchester United players and staff are already safely inside the stadium. They arrived at Old Trafford earlier.

It is worth noting that all the protests appear to be peaceful.

Some Manchester United fans are chanting “we’re going on the pitch again” outside Old Trafford.

It is not clear whether this image was taken before or after the Liverpool team bus started moving again.

Gary Neville on Sky.

Let’s be clear, what we’ve seen on that full-court before which is effectively Man United turned into a prison, it’s a devastating image for the Manchester United Football Club brand around the world, let’s just note that. You have to put prison walls up around your ground and have hundreds and hundreds of police officers on a game where fans aren’t attending, there is something that has gone badly wrong.

Two hours before kick off there’s already a large crowd gathered outside the East Stand. People are setting off yellow and green flares and there’s a police helicopter circling the ground.

Alex Mistlin is one of our reporters who is outside Old Trafford. How exactly the Liverpool (or Manchester United) bus will be able to approach the stadium remains uncertain. There are already a significant number of people outside and one imagines there will be more disruption.

The Liverpool bus is moving again, and the large police presence does suggest that the Liverpool team is inside.

It is not clear whether the poodle is part of the protests.