LIVERPOOL 1, MAN UTD 2
Ruben Amorim celebrated his finest moment as Manchester United head coach after seeing his side win at Liverpool for the first time since 2016.
A goal after 63 seconds from Bryan Mbeumo and late header from Harry Maguire earned Amorim his first back-to-back Premier League wins in his 12 months at the helm at Old Trafford.
The win lifts United back into the top 10 and leaves them only two points behind Liverpool who are fourth and in the last Champions League place.
And it was a win that was deserved for their display as they might have scored even more goals on their way to a victory few would have predicted.
How fortunes have chanced as this was Liverpool’s fourth loss on the spin in league and Europe, the first time this has happened since 2014 when Brendan Rogers was manager.
Again, it was a match of fine margins as Liverpool scorer Cody Gakpo also struck the frame of the goal three times.
But it was United’s day as the mood lifted after what had until now been a disappointing and underwhelming start to the campaign.
Amorim said: “We struggled against Grimsby and Brentford, but you saw another team today against the Premier League champions and our biggest rivals.
“It was great to find something like this after so many bad moments when we have been under pressure.”
Amorim refused to be drawn on goals for the season, saying: “Let’s try to win three games in a row and forget the top four or top six.
“We are the same team and have a lot of work to do.
“We had luck but showed amazing spirit. If we show that today and in training every day we will many games.
“It was a good today. Let’s focus on Brighton and see after that.”
Amorim continued: “I think that was the biggest win in my time at Manchester United. It means a lot today but tomorrow it won’t mean a lot. It’s three points and it’s a good victory.
“We fought for every ball. We lost our composure in the second half, but the spirit was there and that is the most important thing. If you have the spirit, you can win any game.
“It was a good day and now I am concerned about Brighton. I will enjoy it but let’s focus on Brighton.”
Maguire said: “It means everything. They had had the better of us over the last few years, and it’s not been good for our club.
“We have not given our fans enough days like today, so it has been a long time coming, coming to this ground and picking up three points.
Embed from Getty Images“It is not just three points to the club and to the boys. I have been coming to this ground for seven years now and to not get three points have been tough. It’s for the fans and I hope they had a great night tonight.
“It is nice to have one over Liverpool. Football is all about memories and making special memories. I am sure all the fans will go home with memories. We will all go home happy
“We won’t get carried away because we can’t afford that as a club, we will use it as motivation.
“In this club, it will mean a lot this week and then we have Brighton at home next week. We have to remain calm headed.”
Maguire also spoke about United finally getting back-to-back league wins under Amorim.
“It’s embarrassing really. It’s not a stat that we should even be speaking about because it is an embarrassing stat to have,” he said.
“Now that’s out of the way let’s try and make it three [wins] on Saturday against Brighton because we have to start putting a bit more consistency together.
“The last three or four years we’d put in a performance like this and the following game we come down again. We have set a benchmark. There are a lot of areas we can do more as we were hanging on there and defending for the last 30 minutes or so.
“We’ll analyse it. The manager strives for perfection so I’m sure he will want us to play better than we did in the second half. Great fight, big spirit, big win, but again we have to go again.”
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said: “We missed too many chances to win a football game.
“If you would have told me before the game that against the low block, against so many long balls, that we would have created as many chances as we did, I would have not expected us to lose.
“But that is what we did. We had enough chances to score more than one goal, but on the other hand again conceding two and one of the two was the set piece.”
Matheus Cunha and Maguire were recalled by Amorim with Benjamin Sesko and Leny Yoro dropping down to the bench.
Amorim had expressed some concern about risking Cunha or fellow Brazilian Casemiro after an international break that took the pair to the Far East for matches against Japan and South Korea.
However, he went with both as Sesko loses out despite scoring in United’s last two games against Brentford and Sunderland.
Senne Lammens kept his place in goal, which surely confirms his status as Amorim’s new number one after his outstanding debut against Sunderland.
Slot named the same team that lost 2-1 at Chelsea as the Premier League champions attempt to end a sequence of three straight defeats.
It meant Alexander Isak was given the nod ahead of Hugo Ekitike up front while £116m summer signing Florian Wirtz was once again on the bench.
Ibrahima Konate had recovered from injury and took his place alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
United made a dream start taking the lead through Mbeumo after only 63 seconds.
Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo linked to free Mbeumo who flicked the ball past advancing keeper Giorgi Mamardashvilli for the third goal since his summer move from Brentford.
Liverpool complained complaining play ought to have been stopped after Alexis Mac Allister sustained a head injury in the build up to the goal
There was almost a leveller as fans stood in the 20th minute to applaud the memory of Diogo Jota.
A swift counterattack saw Mohamed Salah release Cody Gakpo who cut in from the left before seeing hit shot strike the upright.
United almost added a second when a drive from Fernandes clipped the outside of the post as United wee more than matching the hosts. He had been set up by the dangerous Diallo.
There was another chance when Mason Mount was denied by a smart save low down by the Liverpool stopper.
Ibrahima Konate sent Isak clean through, but his angled shot was kept out by the legs of Lammens.
There was a heart in the mouth moment when Gakpo sliced a clearance from Fernandes’ free kick and almost put through his own goal, the ball landing on the roof of the net.
The woodwork was hit for a third time when a cross from Gakpo struck the far upright in an eventful first 45 minutes.
And Liverpool struck the frame of the goal for a third time soon after the restart when Salah set up Gakpo who cut inside before seeing his shot strike the far upright.
Amad and Casemiro were booked in quick succession, and both were substituted before the hour as they were replaced by Manuel Ugarte and Patrick Dorgu.
They were soon joined by Sesko who replaced Mount while Liverpool also made a triple change.
The unlucky Gakpo was finally rewarded for his efforts with Liverpool’s 78th minute equaliser.
Substitute Federico Chiesa fired over a low cross from the left and Gakpo fired home after a scare for a VAR check for a possible offside.
Six minutes later and United were back ahead when a corner was recycled and Fernandes looping cross to the far post was headed home by Maguire.
United made their final two changes immediately as Shaw and Fernandes were replaced by Kobbie Mainoo and Lenny Yoro.
There were eight minutes of stoppage time for United to safely negotiate, which they did relatively easily, before being able to celebrate with their jubilant travelling fans.
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