Jamie Carragher has explained why Ruben Amorim can view Sunday afternoon's 2-2 draw against bitter rivals Liverpool as "a win" - backing Manchester United's new head coach to make his tactical changes work despite lingering question marks in some circles.

Arriving at Anfield with only two wins in eight Premier League games since Amorim took charge - or four straight losses in all competitions - scrutiny in the week prior had been focused on the manager's persistence with a 3-4-3 formation he made hugely-successful in Portugal while Sporting CP's coach.

"There was talk after this [Newcastle] game that he has to throw the formation out the way and I was steadfastly against that. He can't do that - that's why he's been brought to Manchester United. This is his thing. This is what he does," Carragher said on Sky Sports show Monday Night Football.

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"What was good about this for Man United wasn't so much they were creating lots of chances, but they took the sting out of Liverpool. This is this system working - pinning Liverpool back so they can't get out to the wing-back."

After a goalless first half, the visitors made good of frailties on the Premier League leaders' right-flank. Lisandro Martinez burst forward, was played in behind by Bruno Fernandes, and he smashed Amorim's side into the lead from a tight angle.

Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah would respond with goals, although Amad would have the decisive say with a late strike to see the game end 2-2.

With Liverpool far from their best and Harry Maguire blasting a last-gasp chance of the game over the crossbar, perhaps only a single was not enough. Despite this, Carragher summarised: "This for me was almost a win for the manager in terms of his system."

The ex-Liverpool vice-captain added: "This is a manager who has not been ridiculed this week, but has really been questioned about changing his system - he hasn't got the players to play this way or that way. This is a guy who is in his third job, he's managed over 200 games and he's never played a back four.

"Forget this idea that he's going to change to go to a back four. The Manchester United hierarchy brought him in here from Sporting because of the way he played at Sporting, so they've got to get that right - it's not about him changing.

"Liverpool probably should have still won the game - when you look at the xG - but what they never did was get United on the rack and get the Anfield crowd going, because they couldn't press and they were always caught in between.

"That was down to the system and the movement of the players, and the work they've done on the training pitch. Fair play to the manager, he said give me time on the training pitch working on this system and I will make it work."