Luke Shaw has acknowledged that certain performances by Manchester United have been ‘unacceptable,’ but he is optimistic that their draw with Liverpool will serve as a turning point in the season.

Sunday at Anfield, United maintained a pristine record, much to the astonishment of many, as they held their archrivals to a scoreless draw and prevented them from acclaiming the Premier League lead.

Despite the Reds’ overwhelming advantage, the Red Devils displayed a valiant effort – a trait that has been noticeably absent for the majority of the season and has placed Erik ten Hag’s squad in perilous straits.

United are currently positioned seventh in the standings, eleven points adrift of the leaders Arsenal, and have already experienced elimination in the Carabao Cup and Champions League.

Due to a muscle injury, Shaw has missed the majority of the season. Although the team has performed marginally better defensively since his return, the left-back is aware that they still have a considerable distance to travel before they perform at their peak.

“That [the defensive performance against Liverpool] must now serve as the cornerstone,” the England international told Betfred.

“Each game, whether it be away from Anfield or here at Old Trafford, must be identical, and I believe that is where we have been deficient: consistency.”

“I believe there is one game in which we performed exceptionally well, such as the one we played against Chelsea here; we just let ourselves down by losing 3-0 to Bournemouth here.”

“That is unacceptable; we cannot tolerate it; this must be addressed and changed; we cannot continue to behave in this manner.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk criticized United’s strategies after the game, stating that they “buzzed” for a point rather than attempting to win.

Shaw holds a different opinion, but he did praise the significance of maintaining a clean sheet against one of the most prolific teams in the world, adding, “Really important, especially considering our recent form of conceding many goals.”

“To go there, particularly away at Anfield, and recall very well what transpired there last year [the 7-0 loss] – that was for everyone to remember.” That day was among the most dreadful of my entire football tenure. Additionally, for all of us.

“I believe it was unquestionably a step in the right direction; there are little things we can improve upon when we have the ball, but I believe that, as a defensive block and unit, those are the fundamentals with which we should approach every game—exactly how we defended in that game.”