Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at Old Trafford to secure their return to the Champions League, with Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes starring
Manchester United secured their return to the Champions League, triumphing over Liverpool 3-2 in a rollercoaster match at Old Trafford.
United hit the ground running and quickly established a two-goal lead within the first 15 minutes. Matheus Cunha’s half-volley from a corner kick started the scoring, followed by Benjamin Sesko capitalising on Freddie Woodman’s save which rebounded off him and into the goal.
The first half was dominated by United, but a mistake by Amad gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope. He inadvertently passed straight to Dominik Szoboszlai, who expertly finished from the edge of the box. The situation worsened when Senne Lammens directly passed to Alexis Mac Allister, allowing Liverpool to equalise within 10 minutes of the second half commencing.
However, United rallied for a comeback. Mainoo, fresh from signing a new five-year contract at Old Trafford, emerged as the hero, driving home a shot from 18 yards. Here are the player ratings from Old Trafford:
Senne Lammens: Committed his biggest error of the season at the worst possible time. His direct pass to Mac Allister handed Liverpool an equaliser. Showed safe hands thereafter. 5
Diogo Dalot: Defensively solid with Liverpool posing little threat down his side. Squandered a promising attacking position with a heavy pass in the first half. 6
Harry Maguire: A composed first half, which perhaps led to him being caught out too easily when Szoboszlai feinted a shot for the goal. Showed his back and allowed the midfielder through. 6
Ayden Heaven: Commanding tackle on Jeremie Frimpong late in the first half and had defended solidly. Cannot be faulted for either of Liverpool’s goals. 7
Luke Shaw: Delivered the cross for the second goal and defended admirably against Frimpong, who never managed to exploit his pace advantage against the left-back. 7
Casemiro : First occasion we’ve witnessed an opposition midfield discover space around him since Michael Carrick’s return. Battled to halt the wave of attacks in the second half. 6
Kobbie Mainoo: Failed to reach the heights of Chelsea and Brentford from a defensive standpoint, but appeared assured with the ball when given the opportunity to advance and scored a superb winner. 8
Bryan Mbeumo: A vastly improved attacking performance. Set up a brilliant chance for Fernandes and made an intelligent run to fashion an opportunity for himself after the interval. 7
Bruno Fernandes: Unlucky not to claim an assist for Sesko’s goal, when he created two chances for the striker within 30 seconds. A magnificent touch to control a high ball in the second half, despite being offside. 8
Matheus Cunha: Enjoyed a brilliant start with his goal and an energetic opening but failed to build on that foundation. Should have troubled Liverpool’s makeshift right-back more frequently. 6
Benjamin Sesko: A solid 45 minutes and really put Ibrahima Konate through his paces. Simply had to be present for the goal but his contribution was positive. 7
Substitutes
Amad: Has seemed low on confidence recently and his first action was to lose possession leading to a Liverpool goal. 5
Patrick Dorgu: Some encouraging runs on his return to the team. 6
Joshua Zirkzee: A late substitute. N/A
Leny Yoro: Same as Zirkzee. N/A
Unused Subs: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Malacia, Ugarte, Mount