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Manchester United went the whole of last season against Liverpool unbeaten, but normal service was resumed on Sunday as they were shredded by their arch rivals in a 3-0 loss which actually felt kind given the balance of play.
Liverpool were denied an early goal by VAR in the sixth minute from Trent Alexander-Arnold as Mohamed Salah got a touch while offside. United fans gloated when the decision was announced, but their joy was soon sucked away by a sharp finish from Luis Diaz after a hospital pass from Casemiro was hoovered up by Ryan Gravenberch.
A Casemiro slip-up played a role in Liverpool’s second goal, too; literally in this case as he was bundled over by Diaz, who then collected the ball from Salah before scoring his second.
Casemiro was hauled off at half-time, but it made little difference and Kobbie Mainoo became the latest victim of Liverpool’s high press, leading to Mohamed Salah scoring his customary goal against United.
GOAL rates United’s players from Old Trafford…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Andre Onana (4/10):
Didn’t get close to any of the goals, although they were all brilliant finishes.
Noussair Mazraoui (3/10):
Got destroyed by Diaz in the first half. Had United’s only notable effort on goal in the first half when he tested Alisson.
Matthijs de Ligt (3/10):
Made a strong start but his confidence went downhill after the first goal.
Lisandro Martinez (4/10):
Showed some spirit but it was not always helpful, such as when he got booked in the first half. Tried an overhead kick which missed the target.
Diogo Dalot (4/10):
Struggling again on the left and it seems unfair he’s being played there to accommodate Mazraoui.
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Attack
Alejandro Garnacho (4/10):
Frequently nullified by the excellent Robertson.
Joshua Zirkzee (5/10):
Kept the faith and had his side’s best effort of the game when he was thwarted by a fine save from Alisson.
Marcus Rashford (3/10):
His runs were ineffective and his passes were either under or over-hit.
Subs & Manager
Toby Collyer (5/10):
A pretty tough environment to make his Premier League debut but at least looked more comfortable than Casemiro.
Harry Maguire (5/10):
Made the team ever so slightly more solid and no more goals were leaked when he came on. Had a go in attack.
Amad Diallo (5/10):
Showed some promise but had no support.
Christian Eriksen (N/A):
Introduced in the 86th minute.
Erik ten Hag (4/10):
No real issue with his selections or substitutes, but the result and performance say it all. He has three points after his first three games in all of his three seasons with United.
