Liverpool maintained their perfect record by defeating hosts Man Utd 3-0 in the third round of the Premier League, with all three goals having Mohamed Salah’s mark.
All three goals conceded by the “Red Devils” came from irreparable individual errors, in which Casemiro lost possession twice and Kobbie Mainoo was robbed of the ball in a dangerous position once. The visitors’ classy players such as Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah took full advantage of these situations to sink Man Utd, helping Liverpool maintain their absolute record.
Salah celebrates scoring the third goal for Liverpool against Man Utd at Old Trafford, Manchester, round three of the Premier League on September 1, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Arne Slot’s men have won all three of their opening games of the season and have yet to concede a goal, despite still being second in the table, behind Man City by a goal difference. Their biggest win of the season came at Old Trafford. This is also the first time Liverpool have won three points away from Man Utd since a 5-0 win on 24 October 2021.
When the score was 0-3 on September 1, the new leadership of Man Utd, including billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, looked cold in the VIP area of the stands. Former coach Alex Ferguson said something to the person sitting next to him. Old Trafford had more empty seats than Man Utd spectators in the extra minutes, while Liverpool fans stayed in the stadium and sang songs of encouragement for coach Erik ten Hag to continue leading the “Red Devils”.
In the first half, a group of Man Utd fans also sang a song mocking the Hillsborough disaster that killed dozens of Liverpool fans. But immediately after that song, Casemiro made a wrong pass and missed an attacking opportunity, allowing Ryan Gravenberch to intercept the ball for Liverpool to counterattack. The ball was played to the right for Salah to hang it to the second post for Diaz to head in the opening goal. The Old Trafford crowd gradually fell silent from then on.
Casemiro’s (red shirt) disastrous match. Photo: AP
Before the match, Man Utd introduced 55 million USD defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte from PSG, but he was not registered in time to play. Casemiro’s performance showed how much the “Red Devils” needed Ugarte. Seven minutes after the bad pass that led to the goal, Casemiro lost the ball right in front of the penalty area, allowing Salah to pass to Diaz to shoot one touch to the near corner to increase the score to 2-0 for Liverpool.
Casemiro was rated 4.9 in the first half, according to Fotmob , and he was also substituted immediately after the break. However, there were two players who were rated lower than the Brazilian midfielder in this match: Mainoo and goalkeeper Andre Onana with 4.8 points. Mainoo lost the ball dangerously in the middle of the field in the 56th minute, allowing Dominik Szoboszlai to pass to Salah in front of the penalty area for a one-touch shot into the near corner to seal the score. Onana also failed to close the near corner in this situation.
Not only Casemiro or Mainoo, many Man Utd players also continuously made dangerous passes, from Onana to Lisandro Martinez or Bruno Fernandes. Liverpool had the chance to score the fourth goal and climb to the top of the table, but instead of shooting close to the goal in an open position, Szoboszlai faked a shot and lost the ball.
Szoboszlai’s miss. Photo: Reuters
Man Utd’s attack continued to disappoint, as they were the only team to fail to score in round three. Alejandro Garnacho was poor on the right, while Marcus Rashford created a chance with a cross for Joshua Zirkzee to head in from close range, but he could not beat Alisson.
The defeat leaves Man Utd in 14th place, with three points from three games. Worse still, their form has been deteriorating, and the Red Devils need a boost when the Premier League returns in two weeks. Ten Hag’s men will visit Southampton, while Liverpool will travel to Anfield to take on Nottingham Forest.
