Manchester United deserved to win at Anfield. Their game plan was clearer than Liverpool’s and it paid off. At the same time, Manchester United were also the lucky winners, as shown by expected goals (xG). Liverpool’s xG was 3.20 and United’s 1.34. To simplify, the hosts should have won the match.
Of course it wasn’t. That’s the most important thing right now. Arne Slott’s side squandered chances and United earned a famous three points, Ruben Amorim’s best moment as manager to date. But those at Old Trafford are under no illusions that despite this victory there is still a lot of work to be done.
The spiritual victory is huge. It was their first win at Anfield since 2016, and it was also against the reigning Premier League champions. United are toasting their first ever back-to-back league wins under Amorim, while at the same time causing misery to their bitter rivals, who are currently on a four-game losing streak.
But while it is true that United deserved to win, it is also true that they were lucky to win because the Red Devils had a game plan and executed it, whereas the chances Liverpool created were the product of individual ability rather than the more sustainable product of system or tactics.
why? Because Kodi Gakpo missed a perfect sitter to equalize after Harry Maguire’s goal. Mohamed Salah somehow completely missed goal with an early chance. Gakpo also hit the post three times. Hugo Ekitike approached. And this was the idea of an insane Liverpool side, not a Liverpool team at their peak.
That in itself is a warning sign for United in the long term. To be sure, there were still signs of concern – such as how Gakpo was able to score an uncontested header on that late chance when there were nine white shirts in the 18-yard box after United led 2-1. – and for Amorim to really use this as a springboard, they must not be ignored.
“The winning streak is great, but it has to go on,” Roy Keane warned after the match. Gary Neville similarly said: “They can’t get carried away with this now. They have to go and beat Brighton next Saturday. This is a big achievement so they should be really proud, but they have to work on from here.”
Could this be the platform for United to finally gain momentum under Amorim? Yes, because of how big it feels to win at Anfield. But just as easily, this could become a false dawn. The same was true of his performance against Arsenal. The same was true for the win against Chelsea. That’s something United’s players and staff will have to be keenly aware of as they train this week and prepare for the next game.
This is not to dampen the mood at a time when the Red Devils should be celebrating a big win. The victory bought Amorim time, put an end to talk of being fired, at least for a while, and instilled significant new belief in him and his methods. But United also need to be careful.
This was a classic example of how Amorim tactics work. But that is still the exception at the moment and he now needs to prove that his plans work consistently if United are a team expected to dominate games and win. There are only a handful of games in a season where they can play as underdogs, like Anfield.
There’s no reason why United can’t continue their good form. Their immediate games are winnable, they are confident with their winning streak, they have few injuries and they have a week off between games.
Now is the time for Amorim to be truly judged. United need another encouraging performance against Brighton and a win would do wonders for their confidence in the project. After all, the last three meetings against the Seagulls at Old Trafford have all been lost. Victory would inject new belief that maybe, just maybe, Amorim might be able to reawaken the Titans after all.
