With so much change brought about by an Ineos summer revolution, much has stayed the same for Erik ten Hag as his Manchester United side whittled to a 3-0 Liverpool defeat.
A partisan crowd attended the 243rd meeting between the sides, with their historic rivalry beginning on 23 April 1894.
Ten Hag named a strong starting XI with notable changes from last weekend’s stoppage-time defeat to Brighton.
Matthijs de Ligt replaced Harry Maguire for his first start, while Player of the Month Amad Diallo dropped to the bench instead of Alejandro Garnacho.
Joshua Zirkzee started between Marcus Rashford and Garnacho, with a tactical setup similar to his days at Serie A side Bologna.
Liverpool named an unchanged side from their 2-0 Anfield victory over Brentford in Gameweek two, with Arne Slot’s men yet to concede a Premier League goal.
Ultimately, as they make the short trip home to Merseyside, they’ll know they could, and probably should, have left with more goals to their name.
Architects of their own downfall
United began the half impressively – maintaining custody of the football and dictating the tempo. It was a repeat of the improved structure we have witnessed since pre-season.
However, the Theatre of Dreams was silenced after six minutes when Trent Alexander-Arnold had the ball over the line following a splendid pass from Virgil van Dijk.
Thankfully, VAR confirmed a marginal offside in the build-up, supplying a reprieve for the Stretford End.
The Reds responded well and continued with their game plan, enjoying 64% of the possession throughout the opening 20 minutes.
While both sides attempted to break down their opponents, Diogo Dalot and De Ligt were imperious in their play – marshalling the defence and orchestrating transitions.
Casemiro has been the subject of much conversation throughout the supporter base, with new signing Manuel Ugarte unveiled before kickoff.
The Brazilian had looked to be continuing his rebirth at the start of the 2024-25 campaign until his unnecessary first-time ball was intercepted in the heart of midfield.
The visitors broke through Mohamed Salah, who expertly teed a lofted cross to the back post for Luis Diaz to head home after 35 minutes.
Noussair Mazraoui came close to levelling moments later, with a fine effort saved by Alisson Becker.
But Casemiro looked out of sorts, conceding possession ten times throughout the opening 40 minutes of play.
Moments later, he was bundled to the ground far too easily in transition, presenting Salah with the opportunity to assist Diaz for his second three minutes before the break.
It was limp, uninspiring and reminiscent of many capitulations over the years. Despite a promising start, this side’s frailties were once again exposed.
Old Trafford shared a combined sigh as the players exited the field at half-time.
Unsavoury scenes and a necessity for action
A criticism of Ten Hag throughout his Manchester tenure has been reliance on certain players despite their level of performance.
Well, he had seen enough of his Brazilian midfielder, calling time on Casemiro to supply Toby Collyer with his Premier League debut – hardly ideal timing for the talented youngster.
But, for a mandatory concussion check following a Mazraoui head injury, the game continued similarly, although Collyer’s high energy presented Zirkzee with half an opportunity after 52 minutes.
United were tepid and visibly shaken following a cataclysmic opening half.
Liverpool’s Egyptian magician added a third after 56 minutes following further abject midfield work by United – calmly slotting a routine effort past the helpless Andre Onana.
Astonishingly, the Merseysiders were presented with an immediate opportunity to add a fourth from the restart through a misplaced Lisandro Martinez pass.
Thankfully, Salah missed on this occasion and drove his effort high above the bar.
Rashford did little to vindicate his selection, refusing several attacking attempts when presented with the opportunity to run at Ibrahima Konate.
Despite supplying two technically perfect deliveries for Zirkzee, the Dutchman failed to finish both, and the Wythenshawe man did little else to endear himself to the Stretford end.
When Ten Hag opted to introduce Amad for Garnacho, Old Trafford responded with a chorus of boos – an anomaly in the North West and worrying for the manager.
Dominik Szoboszlai should have added a fourth but opted to ‘unprofessionally’ dally on the ball from six yards instead of shooting.
At full-time, Old Trafford was reminiscent of a post-pandemic fixture, with many of the stadium departing for comfortable surroundings.
This was a concerning display from the 20-time English champions, and despite an influx of acquisitions, we are yet to see anything like the side of old.
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