Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool: First win for Erik Ten Hag in thrilling derby

Manchester United earned their first win of the season by overcoming their rivals Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were both benched for the fixture, and the decision proved to be very effective against the Merseysiders. 

Jadon Sancho gave the home team the lead 15 minutes into the game, with a cool finish sending Alisson and James Milner flying in the wrong direction. United were able to cause a lot of problems defensively for Liverpool, especially on the counter attack. 

Manchester United defeat rivals Liverpool 

After their embarrassing display against Jurgen Klopp’s men at Old Trafford last time around, the players and coach were determined not to have a repeat of the same. Bruno Fernandes wore the armband, and commanded a spirited group on the pitch as they denied Liverpool from achieving their free-flowing best. 

Marcus Rashford scored the second, finishing off a remarkable counter attack after Martial pinched the ball off of Jordan Henderson. Liverpool’s high backline was exposed quite often in the game, with David De Gea and Tyrell Malacia playing long balls from the back. 

The reintroduction of Raphael Varane and Malacia proved to be very effective – as United looked set to keep a clean sheet. But a late goal from Mohamed Salah prevented that from happening. With only ten minutes remaining in the game, it was too late for Liverpool to snatch another. And as a result, they remain winless from their first three games while Manchester United have picked up their first three points.