After a difficult start to the Premier League that saw his side humbled by Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag is finally off the mark for Manchester United after guiding them to a spirited 2-1 victory over rivals Liverpool.
Strikes from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford gave the Red Devils the deserved advantage, as they seemed up for the challenge of taking on last season’s Premier League runner-ups.
A late Mohamed Salah goal reopened proceedings, with the fans at Old Trafford forced to watch the final minutes in some discomfort. In the end it proved too little too late for the Reds, who remain winless on the season.
United presented Casemiro to the excited home fans after his move from Real Madrid was made official, and the excitement seemed to carry over onto the pitch.
Manchester United celebrate after Jadon Sancho scoredEFE
Ten Hag’s men were by far the better team early on as Liverpool struggled to play the ball out of their own half at times. In fact, it should have been 1-0 when Bruno Fernandes squeezed a pass into the path of Anthony Elanga who, through on goal, managed to side foot his effort past Alisson and onto the post.
The miss didn’t dampen Manchester’s spirits however, and they deservedly took the lead five minutes later. Elanga picked out Sancho in the box, and after showing some patience and putting James Milner on his backside, the former Dortmund man swept his side-footed finish into the bottom corner.
It was enough to get Ten Hag out of his seat and send Old Trafford into rapture. It was very nearly 2-0 soon after, Sancho picking out Marcus Rashford on the edge of the box, only for his effort to be blocked by a sliding Joe Gomez.
After Christian Eriksen‘s whipped corner was expertly stopped by a leaping Alisson, Liverpool finally began to grow into the game.
Mohamed Salah‘s shot was blocked by a sprawling Lisandro Martinez, while James Milner‘s smashed header was headed back towards his own goal by Fernandes. It eventually hit the chest of Martinez on the line, who scrambled the ball clear.
Liverpool didn’t carry that momentum over to the second half however, with United doubling their advantage seven minutes after the restart. Substitute Anthony Martial played Rashford through on goal, and the forward ran through before calmly firing past a helpless Alisson for his fifth goal in 11 Premier League appearances against the Reds.
A short VAR check confirmed the goal with Liverpool nearly hitting back straight away, but David de Gea did well to deny Luis Diaz‘s close-range effort.
Alisson did well to keep Liverpool in the contest after Raphael Varane laid it off for Rashford, only for the Brazilian to make a stunning save down to his left.
Manchester United’s Raphael Varane, left, challenges Liverpool’s Luis DiazAP
De Gea responded with a great save of his own from a Fabinho header as Liverpool began to turn up the pressure. The Spaniard kept Roberto Firmino at bay soon after, but he could do nothing to stop Liverpool’s advances in the 82nd minute.
United failed to clear a corner and after De Gea pushed out a Fabio Carvalho header, Salah was there to head home from close range, setting up a nervy finish for the home fans. Varane stuck out his leg just in the knick of time to keep Firmino from slotting home an easy finish, resulting in ten Hag pacing the touchline as the minutes slowly ticked away.
It proved to be Liverpool‘s last real effort, with the Dutchman easing the pressure on him and the club by picking up his first win at the club, along with United’s first victory over the Reds since 2018.
The result sees Manchester United leapfrog Liverpool in the standings, with the pressure now on Jurgen Klopp‘s side as they remain winless after three matches.
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