Ruben Amorim wasn't in a joyous mood at full-time and aimed fire at his players despite Manchester United earning a surprise point against Liverpool on Sunday. United produced a spirited performance in the 2-2 draw at Anfield, ending a four-match losing streak, and could've stolen three points at the death.

The Red Devils silenced the Merseyside crowd in the first half and had the better of the chances, with Amad squandering a header from close range and Rasmus Hojlund fluffing a one-on-one opportunity.

Lisandro Martinez lashed the visitors into a shock lead after the break before Cody Gakpo's curling effort and Mohamed Salah's penalty flipped the game on its head.

But Amad ensured United didn't return to Manchester empty-handed by producing his latest big-game moment and equalising late in front of the away fans.

Amorim's side defied the odds by halting Liverpool's relentless charge towards a record-levelling 20th league title after a build-up dominated by the expectation of a definitive home win.

However, the 39-year-old wasn't in a celebratory mood after the final whistle and displayed his elite mentality by admitting he was infuriated by United's failure to replicate the performance in their recent defeats.

"That should be a big issue for our players that even one person thinks you have the ability but not the character, we have to fight that and change that," Amorim told Sky Sports.

"I think it is really clear. When we are focused, when we fight for every ball, when we suffer, and we are tired when the game is finished, we are a good team.

"If we don't do that all the time, then we are going to lose games. That is clear to everybody. We controlled the tempo of the game very well.

"Every time Liverpool had a chance, we controlled and had the ball for a moment. That makes a difference.

"You could see in the game that it was not like we were not suffering all the time because we controlled the ball, sometimes winning some fouls and controlling the transitions.

"It was a good game. I'm happy for the performance, but I'm not happy for the result. But I'm really, really mad because of the other games."

United entered the game after a disastrous end to 2024, tasting defeat against Tottenham, Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle.

Despite his understandably public frustration about his early results, Amorim has reason to be optimistic for his first full year as head coach.

But his immediate focus will be on another daunting task next Sunday when United are due to visit Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.