Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford led Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford on “Redemption Day.” After losing their first two games, Man United played like an inspired team, spreading the ball around the field in the opening 20 minutes to set up Sancho’s decisive goal. Erik ten Hag’s team entered the break with a one-goal advantage against an ailing Liverpool club that has yet to claim a victory this year. They were just holding on when Lisandro Martinez cleared the goal line to stop Bruno Fernandes from scoring an own goal.
In order to avoid becoming smug, ten Hag replaced Anthony Elanga with Anthony Martial at the break, and it paid off. In the 51st minute, Martial helped United score their second goal. Fabio Carvalho’s late shot attempt allowed Mohamed Salah to get one back, but the game was already over. The victory gave United their first goal from open play and allowed them to begin the 10- Hag period with three points in front of their home crowd. Casemiro gave a special pregame presentation for the crowd.
Meanwhile, Liverpool is left to pick up the pieces following three losses and a forgettable performance at Old Trafford, when they were outworked in every facet of the field.
After receiving a yellow card for tackling Elanga, Trent Alexander-Arnold came under fire and seemed to be second-guessing just about every defensive challenge at his disposal. The defence was in disarray without Fabinho’s protection and Joe Gomez, who was making his first start since April 2022. Liverpool did have opportunities to attack and try to steal a point away from their opponents. They launched 17 shots, but United managed to stop them all because things were too predictable, and Roberto Firmino, who was filling in for Darwin Nunez, who still had two matches left to serve his headbutt suspension, did not pose a threat. As a result, ten Hag was upbeat in his postgame interview abroad.
“We can discuss the technical aspects, but mindset is everything. You can see that we bring our approach on the field now “To Sky Sports, he spoke. “You can see what they can do because of the teamwork, communication, and fighting spirit that were present. They can f—-ing play football, that’s why.”
It’s significant to mention that the captain Harry Maguire and the Portuguese exile Cristiano Ronaldo were benched from the starting lineup due to their attitudes. The defence was strong without having to adjust for Maguire’s lack of speed, and the assault was wide-open with eager runners to feed the ball to.
After Tyrell Malacia stopped Salah, who still managed to score late in the game, they could be considered surplus to requirements along with Luke Shaw if they continue to play like this.
