Ruben Amorim’s long wait for consecutive Premier League victories came to a triumphant end at Anfield on Sunday as Manchester United claimed a famous 2–1 win against Liverpool.
Never let it be said that this iteration of United are predictable. The same team which limped out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of League Two Grimsby Town were deserving victors at the home of league champions Liverpool.
Bryan Mbeumo fired the visitors in front inside the opening two minutes. Cody Gakpo pulled Liverpool level in the second half after an onslaught of pressure but Harry Maguire’s header popped the balloon of their wobbling hosts.
United’s first victory at Anfield since 2016 took them up to the heady heights of ninth, while Liverpool were left to trail table-topping Arsenal by four points.
Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (3-4-2-1)
GK: Senne Lammens—8.3: “He is not Schmeichel yet,” Amorim insisted after an impressive debut from the new goalkeeper a fortnight ago. If he maintains these consistent performances, those comparisons may prove to be a little more accurate.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt—6.8: Never really helped the wingback he was playing alongside get a grip of Gakpo.
CB: Harry Maguire—8.0: Aerially imperious and very much had to be given the number of crosses tossed into United’s box.
CB: Luke Shaw—6.8: Showed an unexpected turn of pace to get around on the cover on more than one occasion.
RWB: Amad Diallo—7.8: Forceful in the challenge and fleet-footed in possession, Amad was usually involved in United’s greatest moments of threat. It was a surprise to see him depart before the hour mark.
CM: Casemiro—6.9: Shockingly comfortable during his hour on the pitch, quite content to leave Alexis Mac Allister unmarked safe in the knowledge that Liverpool wouldn’t find him. It wasn’t until his last touch—a wild lunge on Mohamed Salah—that Casemiro showed any signs of being past his best.
CM: Bruno Fernandes—8.2: Razor sharp on the ball, punching passes with purpose between the lines of Liverpool’s unconvincing rearguard. It was Fernandes’s cross which picked out Maguire’s late winner.
LWB: Diogo Dalot—7.2: Whether on the left or the right, as he ended the game, Dalot never strayed too far forward, forever tucking alongside his nearest centre back.
RF: Bryan Mbeumo—7.4: Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez in particular may very well spend Sunday night dreaming about the haunting figure of Mbeumo lurking in their peripheral vision.
LF: Mason Mount—6.5: Played a subtle role gelling United’s front three together while also offering some midfield cover.
ST: Matheus Cunha—6.9: United’s centre forward in little more than name, Cunha wreaked havoc dropping off the frontline and revelled in any physical duel he found for himself.
Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Noussair Mazraoui, Joshua Zirkzee.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Giorgi Mamardashvili; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak.
Subs used: Curtis Jones, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Federico Chiesa, Jeremie Frimpong.
Player of the Match: Senne Lammens (Man Utd)
Liverpool 1–2 Man Utd—How It Unfolded at Anfield
Amorim wondered aloud this week whether his players would be unshackled by their status as underdogs heading to Anfield. “When you have to win and [have] the responsibility of winning, it is so much harder,” the Portuguese boss mused. Safe in the knowledge that Liverpool, as reigning Premier League champions, were heavy favourites, United certainly began with a renewed sense of freedom.
Three seconds into the second minute of Sunday’s contest and United were already in front. In that time, Mbeumo managed to out-jump Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk, spring back to his feet and sprint into the box to divert Amad Diallo’s cross beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Liverpool steadied themselves thereafter, dominating possession and enjoying squalls of sustained sieges on United penalty area. The hosts thrice hit the woodwork but so did the visitors, who continued to threaten after the opening 63 seconds.
Bruno Fernandes found himself on the end of a dazzling passage of play midway through the first half, strolling onto a ball at the top of the box only to send his effort crashing off the outside of the post.
Gakpo hits the post.
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Fernandes hits the post.
The feeling is mutual. pic.twitter.com/cuyz2dHb6K
United’s threat notably dwindled after the interval. Liverpool played with the feverish urgency of a team desperately trying to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat while Amorim’s side began to wobble. Whether it was the pressure of holding onto the advantage they had worked so hard to carve out for themselves—or something more prosaic such as fatigue—the balance of play was unmistakably tilted towards Senne Lammens’s goal.
Eventually the pressure told. United’s lines of midfield and defence—so often oceans apart—had folded on top of each other in a desperate low block. Two of Liverpool’s substitutes combined to find a way through the mass of white shirts, with Florian Wirtz shovelling the ball to Federico Chiesa who squared for Cody Gakpo to draw the hosts level in the 78th minute.
Just as Liverpool threatened to race away with a lead, United deflated Anfield before the crescendo could even begin. Maguire rose at the back post from the second phase of a corner kick to thump the visitors back in front with just six minutes of normal time left to play.
Liverpool vs. Man Utd Half-Time Stats
Liverpool vs. Man Utd Full Time Statistics
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Liverpool: Maguire Ends Amorim Wait for Glory.