LIVERPOOL, England — Ruben Amorim tasted back-to-back Premier League wins for the primary time as Manchester United supervisor after Harry Maguire’s late headed objective sealed a 2-1 win at Anfield that plunges Liverpool into disaster after a fourth straight loss in all competitions.
Bryan Mbeumo’s second-minute objective had given United a dream begin till Cody Gakpo, having twice struck the put up, leveled for Liverpool within the 78th minute. However United defender Maguire capped an imposing show on the again by heading into the Liverpool internet within the 84th minute to attain United’s first successful objective at Anfield since Wayne Rooney’s strike in a 1-0 victory in January 2016.
United climb to inside two factors of fourth-placed Liverpool, who face Eintracht Frankfurt within the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday aiming to keep away from a fifth successive defeat. — Mark Ogden
Amorim has endured an 11-month nightmare as Manchester United head coach since leaving Sporting CP to take cost at Previous Trafford final November. The Portuguese has suffered defeat within the UEFA Europa League closing, guided United to their worst-ever Premier League end and seen his job prospects questioned for months.
However this win at Anfield might, and will, be his massive breakthrough second at United. By successful away from house towards the champions, Amorim has claimed the most important potential end result for his workforce.
It’s the first time his aspect have gained back-to-back Premier League video games and put them inside two factors of the highest 4. And whereas the end result might be all the pieces to Amorim, United’s efficiency was additionally massively vital because it was one of the best his aspect has produced since he took cost.
United had been organized and convincing in protection, Casemiro’s expertise shone in midfield they usually carried risk up entrance with Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount. Too typically below Amorim, United have collapsed below the minimal of stress from the opposition, however they withstood an Anfield onslaught within the second half.
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This win will give Amorim and his gamers the boldness that they’ve lacked and the data that they now have the chance to go on a successful run, with video games towards Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur to come back earlier than the November worldwide break. — Ogden
When does a hunch turn into a disaster? Judging by the beleaguered seems on the faces of Liverpool gamers on the full-time whistle, this may simply be the day.
The Reds have misplaced 4 video games in a row for the primary time since November 2014 and, removed from trying revitalized by the worldwide break, the issues which have plagued Arne Slot’s aspect all season solely appear to have deepened.
Simply as within the defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, Liverpool had been far too open towards United, and their guests had been solely too comfortable to take the chance to land a blow on their bitter rivals. On the different finish of the pitch, the champions oscillated between trying blunt within the first half and wasteful within the second, with Gakpo’s obtrusive late miss summing up their present profligacy in entrance of objective.
That Liverpool struck the put up 3 times over the course of the afternoon reveals they had been, maybe, barely unfortunate to not take at the very least some extent from this sport. However, for Slot, the priority might be that his aspect by no means as soon as seemed really accountable for a contest they had been favorites to win.
Whereas it may be too early within the season to win a title, it’s not too quickly to lose one. In the meanwhile, Liverpool are teetering dangerously near doing the latter. — Beth Lindop
Senne Lammens has reworked Manchester United in simply two video games since changing Altay Bayindir in objective for Amorim’s aspect. The 23-year-old solely made his debut within the 2-0 house win towards Sunderland two weeks in the past, and his composed efficiency that day was in complete distinction to the error-prone shows of Bayindir and André Onana previous to his arrival from Royal Antwerp in September.
A save from Alexander Isak together with his ft on 35 minutes was the standout second for Lammens, however his contribution was about way more than that. United’s defenders out of the blue look extra relaxed in entrance of their goalkeeper and it has improved their resolution making. They now consider within the keeper behind them.
Although Liverpool poured ahead within the second half, Lammens at all times seemed in management at corners and set items. He had no probability with Gakpo’s objective, however past that, Lammens did all the pieces proper. He seems like a vital acquisition for United. — Ogden
Whether it is Arsenal’s energy on the again that has made them favorites on this season’s title race, then it’s Liverpool’s defensive frailties that make the prospect of them defending their crown appear unlikely.
Objectives from Mbeumo and Maguire at Anfield imply Slot’s aspect have now conceded 11 objectives within the high flight this time period; no different workforce within the high eight to have conceded extra. There has, admittedly, been some upheaval in Liverpool’s again line, with Trent Alexander-Arnold having left to hitch Actual Madrid in the summertime and Andrew Robertson — a stalwart below Jürgen Klopp — relegated to a task on the bench.
As a substitute, it’s Milos Kerkez — signed for £40 million from AFC Bournemouth in the summertime — who’s occupying the left-back place, and as soon as once more he struggled to make it his personal. His tendency to surge ahead typically leaves Virgil van Dijk scampering over to cowl whereas, going ahead, Kerkez seems like a shadow of the participant whose marauding brilliance earned him a spot within the PFA Group of the 12 months final time period.
On the opposite flank, Conor Bradley was strong sufficient towards United however has largely struggled for type this season, whereas Ibrahima Konaté was outjumped within the penalty space for Maguire’s winner. The absence of Alisson Becker — who’s sidelined for a number of weeks with a hamstring damage — was felt when deputy Giorgi Mamardashvili did not cope with Mbeumo’s first-half strike, though he atoned for that with a later save from Mount.
Liverpool’s vulnerability on the again has been a difficulty all season, and now the Reds are paying the value. — Lindop
Cunha is clearly determined to attain his first objective for Manchester United, however the ahead’s efficiency towards Liverpool confirmed that he’s doing all the pieces however rating for his new workforce.
The £62.5 million summer time signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers was excellent at Anfield in the way in which that he performed for the workforce together with his urgent, his capacity to take the sting out of the sport and easily maintain the ball when United had been below stress. The 26-year-old can hyperlink play, open up opponents and he additionally has clear self-belief and the boldness to play his pure sport regardless of the place he’s taking part in.
Cunha might be pissed off that he has but to attain his first United objective, however that can come. Within the meantime, he’s taking part in an enormous half for Amorim’s workforce. — Ogden
The sight of Mohamed Salah in entrance of the Kop with the objective at his mercy is a well-known one for Liverpool followers. In opposition to United, particularly, historical past dictates the Egypt worldwide is greater than prone to discover the again of the online.
Earlier than this weekend, he had scored 16 objectives in 17 appearances towards United and had contributed to 18 of the previous 25 objectives Liverpool had netted versus the Manchester membership. It was a shock, then, to see Salah blaze a wonderful alternative huge of the put up together with his workforce in want of a objective within the second half on Sunday.
His miss elicited an enormous groan from the house supporters, who’re so accustomed to the ahead being their talisman. Final season, it felt like Salah was, at instances, single-handedly dragging his workforce towards the title.
This time period, nevertheless, he seems like a participant struggling for each type and confidence and continues to be clearly not on the identical wavelength as British-record signing Isak, who did not make an impression towards United.
Salah has bounced again from dips in type earlier than throughout his Liverpool profession however, with the ahead having turned 33 in the summertime, there’s a fear that Father Time might lastly be catching up with him. — Lindop