Manchester United scored a big win over Liverpool to pull a five-point gap over the Reds in the battle for second place. Here’s what we learnt from the match.
Moment of brilliance books ticket to Russia
With England manager Gareth Southgate watching on from the stands, Manchester United’s own Marcus Rashford set Old Trafford on fire with a stunning 14th-minute opener.
A darting run in behind onto the end of a Romelu Lukaku knock down, Rashford’s composure to turn and expertly finish couldn’t have come at a better time for the young Englishman.
Struggling for consistent starts since the arrival of Alexis Sanchez, Rashford, who had gone ten Premier league games without a goal, then doubled United’s lead ten minutes later, further pressing his case for a more consistent club role and a spot on the plane to Russia in the summer.
Lukaku proving his worth
Since breaking his ‘top six duck’ in late February when he scored United’s opener against Chelsea, Lukaku has gone from strength to strength, scoring or assisting in the subsequent fixtures. Yesterday was a continuation of that form, bullying Liverpool’s centre halves.
Winning two aerial duels in the opening 20 minutes against the in-form Dejan Lovren, one of which led directly to Rashford’s opening goal, Lukaku is starting to prove his worth as more than just a goal-scoring centre forward.
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Too physical or just too good?
In the battle between Jose Mourinho’s defence and Jurgen Klopp’s press, it was Jose’s route one style that came out on top. Despite a dominant 68 per cent possession for the match, Liverpool found themselves 2-0 down within the first half-hour, with both United goals originated from a David De Gea long balls won by Lukaku.
The nature of the goals poses the question: is physically dominant, long-ball football the key to breaking down Liverpool’s defence?
In a word, no. Without taking anything away from what was a Mourinho tactical masterclass, it ultimately came down to poor defensive reads and top-level execution from top-level players.
A tale of two defenders
Mo Salah’s 32 goals against United’s 32-year-old auxiliary left back ended with a surprising victor. Young was defensively astute and well drilled in his marking of Salah, leaving the Egyptian largely anonymous during the encounter.
Alternatively, Liverpool’s 19-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold had a torrid time on the right of the back four, with Marcus Rashford finding him out of position before turning him around to slot the first goal of the match.
Both fullbacks are arguably in with a chance of making England’s World Cup squad, but only one defender enhanced their chances on the big stage.
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