Manchester United vs Liverpool

FS: 0-5

Goals: Keita 5′, Jota 13′, Salah 38′, 45+5′, 50′

Premier League

24th of October

Old Trafford

Ahead of this game observers and pundits, made a great deal of the mid-week champions league matches. Atletico and Atalanta had offered different challenges to both teams, posing questions and raising doubts about defensive tactics in particular.

This is a match that stands out in the calendar for both sets of supporters when the fixtures are published for the upcoming season. The stage was set for the latest clash and it is true that form does goes out of the window in these games as passion and history takes over.

CR9 versus Virgil was a hot subject on social media with many Man U fans feeling that Ronaldo would give Van Dyck and bit of a run around. The Reds fielding Keita and Henderson alongside Milner seemed a bit light in the key midfield area.

Keita was the target of praise for his volleyed goal in Madrid and criticism for the role in the subsequent two goals suggesting some defensive vulnerabilities.

So the game started with a lot of pre-match hype, early exchanges suggested United would seek to pass through the Reds press and an early chance for Fernandes suggested this could be a tough afternoon for the Reds.

However, early interchanges seen the Reds settle and some slick passing along the left found Salah who squared to a free Keita who calmly slid past De Gea, 1-0 in the 5^th minute! The whole move underlined the pattern of the match, United seemed unable to co-ordinate their press, a team noted last season for their mid-block and counter attacking style was confused if they had become a high press team.

Time and again single united players pressed only for the Reds to simply play around them, this offered endless opportunities to play past United.

The second goal followed in the 13^th minute again nice build up, confusion in the United defence, the ball was fed to Trent who fed a top-quality cross met by Jota. United players looked bemused as if they hadn’t started playing and yet found themselves 2 goals down. 

The match then become the Salah show, it is clear they brilliant Egyptian is in mesmerizing form, playing at a level that is confounding defences domestically and internationally. Yet he seems to have added an additional element this year and that is looking for teammates in better scoring positions. The first goal was a perfect example, opting to square to Keita was not likely to be a decision Salah would have made last year but the Klopp team ethos and clearly worked into his thinking.

Ronaldo who was a major talking point before the match made his only notable contribution by kicking out at Curtis Jones in frustrated petulance. A player of his experience cannot be excused this sort of act and the yellow card was the least he should have suffered, he needs to remember lots of young boys and girls see him as a hero, and hero’s do not behave like this

Two subline strikes from Salah, the second in 1^st half injury time, killed off the match. 4-0 and United looked like the 2^nd half would be potentially equally challenging.

Salah fed by Henderson on the 50^th minute with one of the passes of the season chipped over De Gea to make it 5-0 everyone both United and Reds fans felt this could be 8,9 or worst. However, a reckless Pogba challenge on the 60^th minute was reviewed by VAR and the initial yellow card was changed to red.

The French superstar made the short walk off the field and this seemed to take the passion out of the match. The Reds played long spells of possession football and United seemed to content to allow this as long as it kept the score line down.

The game drifted for the best part of 30 minutes and the final whistle was a blessing for the United players and fans. The United fans deserve credit for keeping up a positive tone from the terraces despite the lost.

With tough games ahead the players and management need to get the identity and tactics of the team sorted as the next home game against City is likely to follow the same outcome.

Klopp seems determine to rotate his players this year and you have to admire the bravery of decisions such as Jota and Kontate who played in place of Mane and Matif to give these players some rest.

The Reds have spent little time in the transfer market these last few years and have spent selectively, many questioned the future of Keita and the Ox, but we need to recognise that Klopp works to a plan and a budget and rather than discard players he works with them.

This attitude creates more than just a sense of togetherness, more than just team spirit it is like the ghost of Bill Shankly is somehow setting a new tone of ownership, between players, management and supporters.

Whilst beating United 5-0 at Old Trafford is a season defining moment my sense if the Reds will go on from here to more glory and success with players and management who see the history of our club is being written today and for all our achievements this history is only made relevant by more success and success achieved through hard work not simply throwing money at problems.

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