Liverpool vs Manchester United Review
Manchester United achieved a 2-1 victory, marking their first away win against Liverpool since January 2016, ending a 10-game winless run at Anfield and narrowing the gap to just two points behind the hosts. Ruben Amorim’s team got off to a perfect start, scoring within 62 seconds. Bruno Fernandes passed the ball to the right to Amad Diallo, who then assisted Bryan Mbeumo. Mbeumo scored past Giorgi Mamardashvili, recording the second-fastest goal in the Premier League history of this fixture. After a slow start, Liverpool began to find their rhythm and were unfortunate when Cody Gakpo created space and curled a shot that struck the far post in the 21st minute.
Manchester United responded quickly, moving to the other end and missing a great chance to extend their lead when Amad’s pass found Fernandes at the edge of the box, but the Portuguese playmaker’s shot struck the post. The home team looked vulnerable defensively and seemed likely to concede whenever United pushed forward, with Mbeumo’s attempt saved by Mamardashvili, who then also blocked Mason Mount’s follow-up shot. Gakpo had a cross deflected onto the post, and Alexander Isak was denied by a strong save from Senne Lammens, helping Amorim’s side maintain their lead at halftime.
Liverpool started the second half aggressively and were again thwarted by the woodwork when Salah’s floated pass to the far post found Gakpo, who calmly shot but saw his effort hit the post once more. Around the 60-minute mark, both managers, Amorim and Arne Slot, made three substitutions each, turning the game into a fast-paced, end-to-end contest, with Liverpool taking risks by pushing more attackers forward. This strategy paid off when, after Salah missed a shot on target, Federico Chiesa’s cross was converted by Gakpo to score.
The Dutch player’s equalizing goal sparked a huge reaction at Anfield, with the home fans cheering their team on to score the winning goal. However, in the 84th minute, United responded when Fernandes delivered a perfect cross into the box, which Harry Maguire headed in. As anticipated, Liverpool pushed forward aggressively once more, but the Red Devils defended excellently to claim their first consecutive Premier League victories under Amorim, while handing Liverpool their fourth straight defeat across all competitions and their third consecutive loss in the Premier League.
