Man Utd 2-1 Liverpool (Sancho ’16, Rashford ’53 | Salah ’81)
Erik Ten Hag rung the changes and got the response he demanded as Manchester United blew away Liverpool to kill off any prospect of a stadium-wide protest from the home fans.
The boss cut Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire among others from his starting XI in an attempt to kick-start United’s season that has already stuttered before we’ve even got into September.
Jadon Sancho, who kept his place in the side following the 4-0 loss at Brentford, cooly put United ahead 16 minutes in, turning and firing low from the middle of the penalty area after collecting from the magnificent Anthony Elanga.
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It could have been even worse for Liverpool were it not for Alisson’s fingertips. The Brazilian nudged a delightful Christian Eriksen free kick over the crossbar midway through the first half, and tipped a low Rashford effort round the post moments after the striker had made it 2-0.
At the other end veteran James Milner saw a header almost steered into net by Bruno Fernandes, before the excellent Lisandro Martinez scrambled it off the line.
Mohamed Salah gave the Reds hope with a late header from close range, on an otherwise frustrating night for the Egypt international. And try as they might Liverpool left it too late to rescue even a point.
Man Utd player ratings
David De Gea – Had practically nothing to do all afternoon. Was safe behind an organised, communicative defensive line. A stark contrast to last time out against Brentford. 7/10
Diogo Dalot – Enjoyed a healthy scrap with Diaz, Liverpool’s most pugnacious forward, and generally won that fight. Picked up a yellow but was rarely in trouble. 7/10
Raphael Varane – Executed a vital challenge to perfection moments before Sancho’s opener and shared the bulk of the defending duties with Martinez all evening. A much calmer partnership without Harry Maguire. 7/10
Lisandro Martinez – Had total control of the United defence, was on hand to block a first-half Salah shot, clear a deflected Milner header off the line, and had Firmino in his pocket. 9/10
Tyrell Malacia – Handled the duty of keeping Salah quiet like very few full-backs have managed to do since the Egyptian’s move to Liverpool. A superb performance from the 23-year-old. 8/10
Christian Eriksen – Had the run on Elliott but wasn’t overly effective – did his job keeping things calm when required. Almost scored with a magnificent free kick tipped over the bar. 7/10
Scott McTominay – Proof that United don’t always need to deep-lying midfielders. Was there to cover when Eriksen went forward and kept Milner quiet all game. 7/10
Anthony Elanga – Exciting and positive, a threat against Alexander-Arnold for the first 45 minutes before being subbed off for Martial. Was the architect of Sancho’s goal. Was hooked for tactical reasons. 8/10
Bruno Fernandes – Enjoyed plenty of space behind Rashford and then Martial. Was far more commanding of United’s play without Ronaldo as a distraction. Caused Henderson big problems until the England man was subbed off. Booked for diving. 7/10
Jadon Sancho – Effortlessly cool with the early goal and was always on hand to collect forward balls. Did his defensive duties well too. 8/10
Marcus Rashford – Ran and ran, stretching Liverpool’s defensive line in a way Cristiano Ronaldo just can’t. Moved to the left flank for the second half with the introduction of Martial. 9/10
Subs:
Anthony Martial – Started the second half up top and added more legs to keep Liverpool’s defence running backwards for most of the remainder of the game. 7/10
Fred – Came on for Sancho with 20 minutes remaining, which coincided with United sitting deeper and deeper. 6/10
Cristiano Ronaldo – n/a
Donny van de Beek – n/a
Aaron Wan-Bissaka –n/a
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson – Expertly tipped Eriksen’s effort over the crossbar, and denied Rashford a second. Couldn’t do anything about either goal. 7/10
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Run ragged by Elanga and booked midway through the first half. It didn’t get better in the second. A disappointing performance for a full-back who usually dominates his flank. 5/10
Joe Gomez – Like Van Dijk was stodgy on the ball and laboured to keep apace with Rashford in the first half. Martial caused him plenty of problems too. 5/10
Virgil van Dijk – The more consistent of the two centre-backs playing the high line, but slow to distribute. 6/10
Andrew Robertson – Liverpool’s only real outlet came down the left through Robertson and Diaz. The full-back had plenty of joy pushing forward but could pick out no-one. 7/10
James Milner – Lost the battle with McTominay and looked more jaded as the game trundled on. 5/10
Jordan Henderson – Spent more time passing sideways or backwards when in possession. That was down to Fernandes’ pressing. A frustrating night for the midfielder, who was hooked early. 4/10
Harvey Elliott – The most lively of Liverpool’s midfield three but failed to make the yards necessary to effectively link up with the often-stranded forward line. 6/10
Mohamed Salah – Was practically a shadow in the first half and fared little better in the second. But scored from close range with 10 minutes left like any good poacher. 5/10
Roberto Firmino – Cut a lonesome figure up front, with neither Salah nor Diaz able to find him. Starved of service and frustrated by Martinez. 4/10
Luis Diaz – The only real source of Liverpool fight in this most intense of derby games. Diaz started well but ran out of steam and ideas, unable as he was to shake off Dalot. 5/10
Subs:
Fabio Carvalho – On for Milner with 17 minutes remaining and added some much-needed energy to the Reds midfield. 7/10
Kostas Tsimikas – n/a
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