Now then! Ashley Young's free-kick from the left bends into the middle, it goes straight into the net!

But the flag is up. Romelu Lukaku was offside, he tried to meet it on the volley but didn't make contact and the ball went straight in. Interfering with play?

He had to be.

Image source, Getty Images

Tim Phipps: Form goes out of the window when United and Liverpool meet. I'd love to believe the pundits who think this will be a formality for Liverpool but I'm not getting carried away.

Marcus Rashford has started very well - he carries the ball 45 yards away down the left after they clear a corner and he wins a free-kick too.

Make them play it - United looking to go direct early on, giving Marcus Rashford a couple of lonf balls into the channel to chase.

Liverpool have the first shot on goal though, Mo Salah beats Ashley Young and tees up Roberto Firmino, but his shot is deflected out for a corner.

Looks like a back three of Lindelof, Bailly and Darmian for Manchester United, with Dalot and Young as wing-backs.

Image source, Reuters

Away we go!

Southampton

Match-winner Charlie Austin said: "It's great. The gaffer's brought in new ideas and it's not just changed things in the changing room but around the whole club.

"It was disappointing last week, so coming here today, Danny Ings is back and got two great goals. And it's massive because we've got games coming up which we could win.

"A new manager comes in. The lads get a rocket and start expressing themselves.

"It didn't work under Mark Hughes but that's gone now. The next two games are massive and we've got to try to take six points."

BBC Radio 5 live

Here they come! The crowd drown out Mark Pougatch in the 5 live gantry - you can listen in now to full comms, just press play above...

Gary Flintoff
BBC Radio 5 live reporter at Anfield

Image source, .

Anfield finally kicks into life. Both sets of fans are in their seats now. Teams will be out soon...

Here come the sides, United in their sort of denim/grey kit. Atmosphere sounds very decent at Anfield, as you'd expect...

Phil Broeders: Here we go...expect United to park the bus and Lukaku to feed off scraps. This has 0-0 written all over it.

JChesterUnited: Benching Martial seems like a mistake, can't stand having this guy as our manager.

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, speaking on Sky Sports about Paul Pogba's omission from the starting line-up: "I have made many decisions to start with 11 players and leave other on the bench.

"I always try to achieve what's best for the team. With Herrera, Matic and Lingard [in midfield] we lose some qualities but we gain aggression and simplicity - that's what we need to play against a fast team like Liverpool."

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Anfield

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp refers to Jordan Henderson as "our brilliant captain" in his programme notes - but he is still relegated to the bench as they look for the win that will restore them to the top of the Premier League.

Even with the influential James Milner absent, Klopp has gone for Fabinho, Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum in midfield.

It will be a bitter blow for Henderson, who relishes this type of game, but also illustrates the strength of Klopp's options.

Smalling outpublished at 15:53 Greenwich Mean Time 16 December 2018

15:53 GMT 16 December 2018

Liverpool v Man Utd (16:00 GMT)

Some last-minute team news, not sure if this is good or bad news for Manchester United fans, but Chris Smalling has hurt himself in the warm up so Eric Bailly comes in.

Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on Sky Sports: "We have to be creative, with them having five at the back we'll just have to see how we go.

"We never know what [formation] they're playing until we see them on the pitch and today we will have to do the same.

"We have to be creative but to defend as well. Rashford and Lukaku have a lot of pace and they will be a real threat, especially on the counter. We'll see - it will be a proper fight."

Martin Keown
Former England defender on Football Focus

Some of the performances are some of the worst we've seen from Man United for 25 years or so. Jose Mourinho talks of a virus in the dressing room, there's no confidence and he looks totally unhappy in the situation he's in.

I don't know the identity of this Man United team, Mourinho needs to pick a team to play, to start enjoying it again - they're almost dreading games. Whether they change the manager is another thing but every game feels like a crisis now. If they lose this game, it's almost unthinkable.

He has an incredible job there, Mourinho, but the special one has become the lonely one. What has happened to Mourinho? Its unbelievable, he's almost enjoying the process of it coming to an end.

You get results, they have a good run of fixtures coming, start to build with a result against Liverpool and see what happens.

Chris Painter: Wenger out! Oh sorry, old habits die hard. Emery out!

Just over 10 minutes until one of the biggest games in the English football calender. Not the best, necessarily. The last two meetings at Anfield have 0-0. And absolutely turgid, if memory serves.

Arsenal

Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi said: "We weren't concentrated through the 90 minutes. There were spells where we didn't defend well as a group.

"Southampton deserve credit. They had a game plan and they stuck to it, but it's disappointing by us.

"We're frustrated the unbeaten run is over. We had chances to win the game. But we should give ourselves some credit for going on the run. Now we have to keep going and try to go on another run."

Gary Flintoff
BBC Radio 5 live reporter at Anfield

Image source, .

Your voices on 5 live and the BBC Sport website and app this afternoon. Former Wales midfielder Robbie Savage tucks into his first mince pie of the afternoon alongside the BBC’s football correspondent John Murray.