Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United: Ruben Amorim earns successive Premier League wins for the first time
In a back-and-forth, up-and-down, topsy-turvy basketball game at Anfield, Manchester United ended a 10-year run by overpowering Liverpool at their home ground for the first time since 2016.
The last time United won at Anfield Louis van Gaal was manager. A one-nil victory, with Wayne Rooney the scorer. No one in that squad remains at the club today and there have been four permanent managerial appointments since.
But on Sunday Bryan Mbeumo scored just 60 seconds in, and after a late Liverpool equaliser, Harry Maguire’s bullet header bookended a feisty performance to end the winless run and earn Ruben Amorim his first successive Premier League victories in charge at the club.
Anfield had barely had time to breathe in the collective atmosphere of red and white jerseys punctuating a field of green, when the impressive Amad Diallo slid the ball to Mbeumo to put past Giorgi Mamardashvili and tear Arne Slot’s gameplan to shreds.
The move was a summary of Mbeumo’s dogged performance for his side against the champions. Having jumped and been involved in a collision with Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister 40 yards away from Liverpool’s goal, he scrambled up and made his way into the penalty area to finish off Amad’s run and lay off.
What followed was a chaotic 90 minutes with both sides having a go at each other, the open goal theirs to exploit.
Cody Gakpo was Liverpool’s most lively player, one man on a grand mission to rescue his failing side. He hit the post three times, once bouncing off the foot of United captain Bruno Fernandes and sailing over Senne Lammens.
But Fernandes also had his near-moments, on one occasion whamming the ball fiercely onto the post after a cut back from Amad.
It was difficult to keep track of the chances that flowed for either team. Mason Mount blazed over from inside the box. Fernandes took too much time and Konate was there to block a dangerous shot. Mac Allister’s own attempt from just inside the box also flew over the bar.
Hugo Ekitike’s low drive failed to find the bottom right corner but his daring run impressed the Anfield faithful. Lammens drew a fantastic save from Alexander Isak after a throughball from Ibrahima Konate.
United’s gameplan was to launch the ball as deep as possible into the Liverpool area without reaching Mamardashvili, and then let their runners battle Liverpool’s defensive players for it.
It worked, with their combative forwards, led by Mbeumo, winning their fair share of duels and putting pressure on Liverpool’s backline. It left the defensive awkwardness of the champions so far this season as pronounced as ever. In goal Mamardashvili looked unassured.
It wasn’t the only malfunctioning piece of Liverpool’s grand design. In midfield Mac Allister struggled. So did Mohamed Salah, valuable in a previous age but defunct for now, like a soviet-era mailbox left on the street only for its historical value.
In one of his side’s clearest chances of the evening, the Egyptian blew wide with Lammens and United’s goal at his mercy.
Liverpool equalised with over 10 minutes of normal time to go. After a scramble in the box, Gakpo snuck in behind United’s back line to tap in from Federico Chiesa’s shot-turned-cross.
Then Maguire headed United in front after Fernandes followed up his corner kick with a cross. Frimpong’s ball in should have led to an instant equaliser for Slot’s side, but Gakpo, the hero in a different age, headed wide from a free header with the goal gaping.
One comment
“So did Mohamed Salah, valuable in a previous age but defunct for now, like a soviet-era mailbox left on the street only for its historical value.”
yoooo