Liverpool suffered their fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in 11 years as Manchester United secured a 2-1 victory on Sunday, ending their nearly decade-long wait for a win at Anfield.
Harry Maguire’s
84th-minute header earned United back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time under manager Ruben Amorim.
Twelve minutes from time, Cody Gakpo had equalised Bryan Mbeumo’s opening goal, which came just 61 seconds into the match.
This defeat leaves Liverpool four points behind Arsenal at the top of the table, with Arne Slot still searching for the right balance in his team after spending nearly £450 million ($604 million) on new players in the transfer market.
United are now within two points of their historic rivals and have moved up to ninth place in the table, easing the pressure on Amorim after his biggest win in nearly a year in charge.
Liverpool had only lost one of the previous 14 Premier League meetings with United, who had not won at Anfield since January 2016, early in Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
However, the Reds are currently in a state of transition after overhauling the squad that won the title last season and dealing with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident in July.
How Manchester United Beat Liverpool?
After three consecutive defeats for the first time under Slot, Liverpool could not have imagined a worse start. Mbeumo easily bypassed Virgil van Dijk and scored past Giorgi Mamardashvili from Amad Diallo’s pass within barely a minute.
The home side and their supporters were furious that play was not stopped in the build-up after Alexis MacAllister went down with a head injury caused by his own captain, Van Dijk.
Slot left £100 million signing Florian Wirtz on the bench for the second consecutive game as he struggled to find the right balance between defence and attack.
Gakpo should have equalised for the defending champions when he hit the post from Mohamed Salah’s through ball in Liverpool’s one flowing move of the first half.
However, it was United who should have been further ahead by half-time. Bruno Fernandes missed a glorious chance to double their lead when he hit the post from the edge of the area while unmarked.
At the other end, Senne Lammens was rarely troubled in the first 45 minutes but made a crucial save to deny Alexander Isak his first Premier League goal since joining Liverpool for a British transfer record of £125 million.
A deflected cross from Gakpo then bounced off the post, and the Dutchman hit the woodwork for a third time early in the second half.
Slot turned to his nearly £200 million worth of forward options from the bench, introducing Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike on the hour mark to join Salah, Gakpo, and Isak in a five-man attack.
Salah, the highest scorer in this fixture, showed his lack of form with a wild finish that sliced wide with just Lammens to beat at the back post.
Liverpool’s wealth of attacking talent finally paid off when Federico Chiesa, who had just replaced Isak, drilled in a low cross that Gakpo converted from close range.
However, their defensive weaknesses meant parity lasted only six minutes, as Maguire was left unmarked to head in Fernandes’s looping cross.
Gakpo still had a chance to rescue a point but headed wide from Jeremie Frimpong’s inviting delivery, leaving Liverpool to their first league defeat at Anfield in over a year and another setback in their bid to win a record 21st English top-flight title.
(With inputs from Agencies)
