And finally a victory for Liverpool on the seventh visit to Old Trafford under Jürgen Klopp. When they needed it most, after a debilitating injury crisis as they navigated an unthinkable series of disasters in A Season to Forget, the squad won at Manchester United to steer the top 4 talks.
When the Merseysiders were at their highest, conquering England, Europe, and the world, these adversaries on this soil turned out to be kryptonite.
This was largely down to a risk-averse approach by Klopp, even when United was on their knees – as they did in February 2019.
On that occasion, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s selection was hampered before the game and completely hampered by three substitutions before the break.
Liverpool were pushing for the title with Manchester City, the thinnest edge separating them, but not opting for the carotid artery. They settled for a goalless draw that they would later regret if they missed Pep Guardiola’s machine by a point.
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Now that United was purring – the second in the standings to look forward to the Europa League final – and Liverpool was limping unconvincingly, they had to somehow come up with a formula for success.
And above all thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino. Two players who were badly ridiculed and stayed behind because of “goosed”, “sh * t” and “dead” moved a distant Champions League dream within reach.
England coach Gareth Southgate was in attendance to see Liverpool’s right-back be the standout player in the game as his counterpart Aaron Wan-Bissaka was repeatedly punished for bad decisions.
In the first half alone, Alexander-Arnold – who was ridiculously in danger of being excluded from the Euro squad – had delivered five important passes, as many as United managed in total.
Firmino had only scored one goal in 23 games in all competitions before kick-off, but scored twice on either side of the break in his best campaign performance.
Diogo Jota’s 34th-minute goal had brought Liverpool back into the game after a sloppy, slow start that allowed Bruno Fernandes to go off the mark in the first 10.
(Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The end of Mohamed Salah on 90 ensured they won after Marcus Rashford pulled one back and Mason Greenwood’s cameo threatened to take the clash away from the visitors.
United, without Harry Maguire, was a defensive mess. This point was underlined throughout the commentary, mostly by Gary Neville, who previously called the opponent’s lack of customization at the heart of the rearguard an “excuse”.
Liverpool saw it home with Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams considered the seventh and eighth choice center-backs.
At a critical point, on unfavorable ground against the old enemy, Klopp’s men remembered that they could fight, press, and play.
They didn’t collapse 1-0 even after a penalty was blocked, nor did they give 3-2.
Liverpool are in fifth place, six points behind Leicester and four points behind Chelsea. The pair meet next Tuesday, with one or both of them losing ground.
West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace remain for last season’s champions, all three of whom must win to see if they will still be at the top of Europe.
At the end of the toughest storms, Liverpool gives a glimpse of a golden sky.
