Liverpool have joined Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table as the only teams to have won all three games this season so far, after smashing arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford. Having seen a seventh-minute goal by Trent Alexander-Arnold ruled out for an offside given by the VAR against Mohamed Salah in the buildup, the Reds took the lead through Luis Diaz in the 35th, and the Colombian winger added another in the 42nd. Salah eventually proved the scourge of Manchester United again in the 56th, setting the final score at 0-3.
The teams
There were two changes in United’s starting lineup compared to the one that started the defeat away to Brighton and Hove Albion the previous week, with newcomer Joshua Zirkzee, who scored the winning goal in the opening round against Fulham, replacing Mason Mount as the man leading the attacking line, and Matthijs de Ligt, another summer arrival, coming in the place of Harry Magiure in the back line.
Zirkzee had Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in support, while Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro played in deeper midfield roles. De Ligt played alongside Lisandro Martinez in the heart of defence, with Diogo Dalot on the left and Noussair Mazraoui on the right. Andre Onana was in goal.
As for Liverpool, their team unsurprisingly remained unchanged from the victory over Brentford. With Alisson Becker between the posts, Ibrahima Konate joined Virgil van Dijk to form the centre-back duo, while Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson covered the flanks. The midfield double pivot consisted of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, with Dominik Szoboszlai given more freedom to play further up. Diogo Jota led the line upfront, with Salah and Diaz in support from wide positions.
The game
The contest appeared finely balanced at the start as both teams sought to establish control and attack. United had a few promising situations, and Liverpool had one good chance dragged wide by Jota, before Alexander-Arnold smashed the ball which crossed the goal-line before Dalot cleared it out. Referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle and raised his wrist watch, before pointing to the centre of the pitch. However, the VAR intervened and rightly so, pointing out that Salah had been offside before playing the ball into Alexander-Arnold’s path.
But there was nothing to save United in the 35th minute, when both Diaz and Szoboszlai sneaked in unmarked at the far post as Salah whipped in a cross from the right. Szoboszlai eventually pulled his head in to allow the Colombian to have a go, and it paid off.
Salah was the assist-maker again in the 42nd minute, finding the same man close to the penalty spot before Diaz whacked a low effort, straight into the bottom corner, leaving Onana unable to do anything about it.
United tried to fight back after the break and there was a feeling that Liverpool would do well to score a third goal as soon as possible to end any uncertainty, and when Salah got the ball off Szoboszlai after a fine run by the Hungary captain and smashed past Onana, the contest was obviously settled.
At the other end, Erik ten Hag’s men had several good chances of their own, but Alisson showed his quality to deny an extremely awkward shot by Mazraoui, to divert a shot by Zirkzee around the post, and to stop the former Bologna striker from scoring with a close-range header.
Interestingly enough, it was United who had more possession of the ball (53%), and it took only three shots on target from Liverpool to score three goals. Nonetheless, Liverpool fully deserved their win.
United need Ugarte
On top of Zirkzee, De Ligt and Mazraoui, United have completed the signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain, but it was too soon for the Uruguay international to be involved after joining the club only two days before.
However, this game showed quite clearly why the Old Trafford club chose to pay the reported fee of €50 million to sign Ugarte.
Much has been said about Casemiro not playing at the same level for United as he did previously for Real Madrid. The Brazilian destroyer has indeed been a shadow of his former self, with an occasional flicker of old resilience and game-reading ability.
It was none other than the 32-year-old who lost the ball in dangerous positions ahead of both first-half goals, in ways that came as a huge surprise for a player of such experience and pedigree. Small wonder, therefore, that Ten Hag chose to leave him in the dressing room at the break, but as he thought about it, a hard truth must’ve hit home – there is no player in his ranks suitable to step in and perform in a game of such magnitude. Eventually, 20-year-old Toby Collyer, recently promoted from the youth setup, got the nod, and while there wasn’t really anything the young midfielder could be blamed for in this game, it was quite clear that he lacks the ability to inject his team with some much-needed energy and creativity. Those who hold Manchester United in their hearts will be hoping that Ugarte is ready to step into the breach after the international break.
Gravenberch experiment working for Liverpool
Meanwhile, Liverpool have still not replaced Fabinho properly. Since their former defensive midfielder left the club, the fans had been hoping for a big-name signing to cover the hole left by his departure, which arguably hampered their efforts greatly last season. The club indeed tried to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer, but the Spain international eventually decided not to leave his current club, and no alternative target was pursued.
It was said then that Slot had plenty of faith in the players at his disposal, and he tested the idea to play Gravenberch and Mac Allister as a double pivot in the middle of the park straight away. So far, the setup is proving effective.
Gravenberch an excellent game, fighting for every ball, drawing fouls and yellow cards for the opposition, covering defensively, carrying the ball far up the pitch, and engaging his teammates with smart, well-aimed passes. The season is, of course, long, and it remains to be seen what happens when the Champions League campaign starts and games come thick and fast, but for the time being, not signing a specialist No. 6 has not been a problem for Liverpool.
Ten Hag in trouble?
Ten Hag’s future at Manchester United was in doubt towards the end of last season, but the unlikely FA Cup triumph covered the smell of the eighth-place finish in the Premier League to an extent, and he signed a new two-year contract at the start of July.
It was the second cup triumph for the Dutchman at the club, but now the question of cup successes covering for league blunders must be asked, for all his claim that United have been the second-best team in England as they won the most trophies behind Manchester City in the last two years.
Three points from three games simply isn’t good enough for the club that has 20 league titles in its illustrious history. United have backed Ten Hag in the transfer market, signing three Dutch players this summer for considerable amounts, two of whom he coached previously at Ajax. The money they spent on players in 2022 and 2023 isn’t exactly pocket change either, and the results, at least when the Premier League is concerned, are still missing.
These transfer activities have arguably tied the club’s hands when it comes to deciding Ten Hag’s future – they spent a lot of money on players he had asked for, and when contemplating the possibility of sacking him, they have to consider the possibility that a new coach might not want these players.
That’s some pickle United have landed themselves in, but unless the results pick up and the team starts earning points on a regular basis soon, they’ll likely have to make the hard call and cut the cord.
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