Gary Neville hailed Manchester United trio Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes for their performances in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, insisting they "outplayed" Liverpool's midfield.

United head coach Ruben Amorim made three changes to the starting XI that was so easily beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United at Old Trafford, handing recalls to the aforementioned trio. Ugarte and Fernandes were suspended against the Magpies and Mainoo started on the bench.

Ugarte and Mainoo started in central-midfield alongside each other, flanked by Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot in the wing-back positions, and Fernandes operated slightly further forward as the left-sided No.10.

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Up against a Liverpool midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones, United knew they would in for a stern test in the engine room, but it was an assignment they passed with flying colours, triggered by their aggressiveness with and without the ball.

"Obviously the team selection had to be much different, the team that starts against Newcastle was never going to win that football match, or most football matches in the Premier League, but Ugarte and Mainoo haven't been in amazing form in central midfield," said Neville, speaking on his Sky Sports podcast.

"Bruno playing off the left-hand side again, I actually thought that left-hand side against Trent Alexander-Arnold and [Mohamed] Salah, I thought that would be a risk for United rather than it being a strength as it ended up being, but I thought the way in which the three of them took the ball was brilliant.

"I always say to take the ball at Anfield as a midfield player is the hardest, particularly when you've got Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Jones against you, they're all over you.

"I actually thought that those Liverpool midfield three, I think Mac Allister was the best out there, but Gravenberch and Jones, it'd be harsh to say they went missing, but they certainly found it hard against Mainoo, Ugarte and Fernandes.

"I thought they outplayed them. I thought United got control of the midfield, which I've not seen many Manchester United midfields do here, it's really tough at Anfield to do that."