Ruben Amorim went into his first meeting with Manchester United’s arch-rivals Liverpool with four defeats in a row. Liverpool have been unbeatable, apart from a Nottingham Forest wake-up call at Anfield in September. Before the game, Arne Slot did his part to dispel expectations that Liverpool had an easy match against a United team on their knees. Slot was right.
-In my view, they have much better players than what the table shows at the moment. It may take some time for Ruben Amorim to get it out of the players, but they are much better than the table shows,” Slot said before the game, according to BBC Sport.
Amorim stated before the weekend that he noticed United players who were both nervous and afraid of making mistakes, but on Sunday the United players stood out as Liverpool’s equals.
Rasmus Hojlund got his opportunity before half-time at Anfield alone against Alisson, but was unable to outsmart the Brazilian. There were also a few other opportunities in the first half, but the arch-rivals were tied when the referee blew for half-time.
Seven minutes in, Bruno Fernandes sent a “camouflaged” pass into the box, Lisandro Martinez popped up and knocked in his first goal of the season, 0-1 to Manchester United.
The home team thus had to chase goals, and it didn’t take many minutes before the balance came. After a nice dribble, Gakpo slammed the ball into the corner and made Anfield explode. 1-1.
Ten minutes later, Matthijs de Ligt used his hand in the box, Mohamed Salah put the home side in front from the penalty spot. Sunday’s big game had suddenly turned completely upside down, now it was United who were going to hunt for goals.
Garnacho was brought on after 72 minutes, which proved to be a wise move by Amorim. Shortly after, he was responsible for Diallo’s set-up that made it 2-2.
Points split at Anfield. For a Manchester United on their knees, this will give a real boost further in the season. Erik ten Hag had to leave Old Trafford with a 0-3 defeat against Slot and Liverpool in August. With Amorim at the helm, Manchester United picked up points at Anfield. Strongly!
