RevSportz Comment
Liverpool-Manchester United has largely been a rivalry shaped by geography rather than results. When Liverpool ruled the roost under Bob Paisley and his successors, United weren’t regular challengers for the title. And when Sir Alex Ferguson knocked Liverpool off their perch in the early 1990s, it was Arsenal and, later, Chelsea that shaped up as United’s biggest on-field rivals. In recent seasons, the other Manchester side, City, were the ones Liverpool went toe to toe with, as United slipped further and further behind. In that sense, Sunday’s 2-1 win at Anfield was a seismic result, a small sign that this rivalry may once again take pride of place. Here, we look at five talking points from the game.
Amorim goes for speed of thought instead of battering ram
By leaving Benjamin Sesko on the bench and opting for a front three of Matheus Cunha, Brian Mbeumo and Mason Mount, with Amad Diallo raiding down the right whenever possible, Ruben Amorim ensured that the physically imposing centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate had more than muscle to think about. Mbeumo’s resilience, strength and pace saw him score the first goal before most fans had even sat down, and both he and Cunha worked tirelessly while leading the press. Amad was superb and should have had an assist when Bruno Fernandes skimmed the post, and was only taken off because he was on a yellow card. When Sesko did come on, he posed few questions.
Gakpo and the coat of varnish
Cody Gakpo eventually scored, as he so often does against United at Anfield, but he also saw two thumping shots – one in each half – come back off the post and a cross deflected off Fernandes strike the upright. Each of those could be written off as bad luck, but with Liverpool chasing a stoppage-time equaliser, he leapt perfectly and nodded wide with the goal gaping.
Should we talk about Salah?
In all the statistics and hyperbole surrounding these games, it’s easily forgotten just how much Diogo Jota’s death in July has affected some of these players. Mohamed Salah’s tears on the opening night after scoring against Bournemouth were proof of that, and last season’s goal-and-assist machine has been worryingly off-colour since. On Sunday, he snatched at a chance he would usually bury after Milos Kerkez’s cross found him. His link-up play and final pass were often awry. No one misses Trent Alexander-Arnold’s precision passes more either.
Maguire, man of steel
United fans loved Maguire long before he arrived at Old Trafford. His equaliser for Leicester City in January 2019 was ultimately decisive in the most high-quality title race of all time – as Pep Guardiola’s City (98 points) pipped Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool (97) to the trophy by a point. The United years have seen him become a lightning rod for criticism — captain’s armband taken away, dropped from the side, and every other indignity. Through it all, Maguire has soldiered on. The winner in front of the away hordes was the sweetest possible riposte for an old-school battler.
Are Liverpool in crisis?
It was Paisley that once said with his droll Northeast wit: “Aye, here we are with problems at the top of the league!” Yes, a fourth defeat on the bounce in all competitions doesn’t paint a pretty picture. But only the very naïve would have expected such a big overhaul of the first XI to be painless. Florian Wirtz is a generational talent and will surely find his feet, just as Denis Bergkamp did three decades ago. Alexander Isak will get up to speed. Hugo Ekitike is already a fan favourite and huge all-round threat. Federico Chiesa seems a player revived. The defence, with two new full-backs, is lacking understanding, but then, Van Dijk and Andy Robertson didn’t develop their telepathy over a month either. Liverpool are only four points behind Arsenal, and given the talent at Arne Slot’s disposal, it’s surely only a matter of time before things click into gear.
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