Man Utd vs Liverpool LIVE RESULT: Rampant Reds dominate at Old Trafford as Diaz double & Salah goal sink Ten Hag’s side
LIVERPOOL ran riot at Old Trafford as the Reds put Manchester United to the sword.
Luis Diaz scored twice just before half-time - with Casemiro making poor errors for both goals - to put Arne Slot's new look Liverpool well on top.
Mo Salah then added a third after another mistake in the Manchester United midfield, leaving Erik ten Hag's team with just one win from their opening three.
- Man Utd team: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes; Garnacho, Zirkzee, Rashford
- Liverpool team: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Luis Díaz; Diogo Jota
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What is he thinking?
One final image to leave you with... United's billionaire owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was pictured with his head in his hands during the defeat and cannot have been happy with what he saw on display.
A penny for his thoughts?
Man Utd player ratings
Players in the United dressing room probably won't want to be looking through this one.
The top scorer gets just a 5/10 - and that's probably being generous with some of the United flops earning 2s and 3s.
Match report
Here's how SunSport's Neil Custis saw the game at Old Trafford:
Carra and Nev debate
Carragher and Neville then had a huge debate over Ten Hag's position and how United have been here before.
Neville: "They [Man Utd ownership] were open about the fact that they looked to go for a manger to replace Erik ten Hag and they couldn't find one.
"Erik ten Hag wins the FA Cup, it shocks everybody and they think 'OK we will still look around Europe and see if we could find a manager'. They couldn't find a manager that they felt would take the club forward better than Ten Hag could. So, he kept his job.
"It should not be demeaned that two trophies in two years is all of a sudden a really bad time.
"Eighth in the league is unacceptable, but they have won two trophies in two seasons.
"In Man United's history there were seasons that they went years without winning trophies.
"Sir Alex, it took him six or seven years to win a Premier League.
"It takes time, it took Klopp five or six years and Arteta is on a journey too."
Carragher: "In Jurgen Klopp's third season [at Liverpool] they were in a Champions League final and you could see something building going forward."Neville: "Erik ten Hag will get a few months with these new players coming in - Hojlund coming back and Ugarte coming in.
"He can't be eighth at the end of November, he has to be in the top four or five."
Carragher: "Man United are one of the biggest clubs in the world. Would Real Madrid or Bayern Munich accept being sixth in their league?
"We are saying eighth - that is where we are with Man United right now."
Credit: EPA 'I would be surprised'
There was a long post-match discussion on United and Ten Hag and Jamie Carragher is not convinced the Dutchman will last the season.
"I don't think anything is going to change in terms of the football.
"I have seen this before at Liverpool. Go back before [Jurgen] Klopp came in when there was talk of Brendan Rodgers losing his job after one season.
"They weren't sure what to do, FSG, and they kept him and Rodgers changed his staff.
"You expect something different, but the manager is the main man. Rodgers was gone in October. Ten Hag said in his interview 'we will see where we are at the end of the season'.
"I would be surprised if he is still there at the end of the season."
'As bad as it can be'
Manchester United legend Gary Neville was not impressed with what he say at Old Trafford, but the ex-captain says that long-term issues are still hindering the club.
He also thinks Ten Hag will get until around Christmas to regroup after a poor start.
"When the stadium has 20,000 fans left in it, basically it is as bad as it can be.
"The impact of taking Casemiro off will reverberate around the dressing room as he's one of the leaders.
"Really challenging times for Man United for ten years, whether you're Antony, [Angel] Di Maria, [Jadon] Sancho, who has just left, [Marcus] Rashford, a young kid coming through the ranks and the fans are onto him.
"Not just Erik ten Hag, but every manager has struggled.
"It is a time for a bit of calm. The international break [is here] which is well needed for Man United.
"Erik ten Hag needs to get the club into a position challenging for Champions League near Christmas or he will be in trouble.
"He has changed his staff. That is not always ideal as there is new messages coming in.
"There is a lot of change at the club, there is a lot of staff that have been here a long time which are leaving.
"It's a sobering day for United, but one that requires calm."
'Show me the money'
After Mo Salah seemingly hinted he might be in his final year at Liverpool, but former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge believes he actually has an ulterior motive with his comments.
I don't believe in his mind he wants to leave the club. I think he is saying, 'show me the money'.
Daniel Sturridge
Credit: Sky Sports I don’t think you are right - Ten Hag
Erik ten Hag doesn't agree that Manchester United are falling into the same patterns as last season, and referenced that Liverpool had a lower xG (expected goals) than in this fixture last season.
Asked if the display felt the same as last season, Ten Hag said: "I don't think you are right. You can see the xG we didn't concede as many goals. I don't think we are in the same pattern.
"It was sometimes open and we took risks. But I don't want to talk about this after a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool. Well done Liverpool. We have to be humble and take it.
"There are many games to play and I know where we will be at the end of the season. We will go for trophies. That will stand.
"In the two years, we took two prizes. We will see where we are at the end of the season. We brought new players in. There are still some players not available. The opponent is probably a little bit further in certain areas but we will catch up and come back. I don't want to talk about good things today. We lost 3-0. We have to stand up and bounce back."
Credit: GETTY It's what the team needed - Ten Hag
Asked about his decision to take off Casemiro, Ten Hag said: "It is what the team needed. You know when you are 2-0 down against Liverpool you have to take more risks, it will be open. When you are losing you have to take more risks. I have to give compliments to the team. You have to keep fighting and sticking together."
Questioned about Casemiro's reaction to the withdrawal, Ten Hag added: "You know the game and he knows the game. He will go on and we will go on. He's a great player. We will continue this season to improve the team and the players.
"He [Casemiro] improved and has shown so often that he is a great character. We all have seen great moments from him and him be decisive in midfield. He will show that again and will bounce back."
A day to forgetCredit: GETTY
No exit
There's a few rumours circulating on social media that Casemiro left Old Trafford after being taken off at half time.
However, SunSport have been told that contrary to suggestions on social media, Casemiro did not leave Old Trafford at half-time. He was in the dressing room with the rest of the team at full-time and left afterwards as normal.
We made mistakes - Erik Ten Hag
Oh yeah?
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been speaking to Sky Sports after that horror show, and he's blamed individual errors but accepts that Liverpool deserved to win.
He told Sky Sports: "We made mistakes and they were very clinical in finishing. They did very well."
On whether Liverpool's forwards were allowed to run at his defence: "I don't think so. If I see all the chances we conceded, I don't think that's what happened. We made mistakes. It was all individual errors. Maybe the last one you can debate where our double-six was. Liverpool did brilliant but the goals conceded expectations were not that high.
"It's clear Liverpool deserved the win. We have to be humble, take this and improve our game."
Stat
Liverpool have won each of their opening three matches of a Premier League season without conceding a goal for the third time, after 2013-14 under Brendan Rodgers and 2018-19 under Jurgen Klopp.
They conceded in their fourth game both seasons.
So don't captain Trent Alexander-Arnold in my Fantasy Football team against Nottingham Forest?
Deserved win - Arne Slot
Liverpool boss Arne Slot, speaking to Sky Sports: "The first few minutes, United started aggressive and we had to fight our way through the period.
"If you go to Old Trafford we know there will be tough moments. After scoring a great goal which was disallowed we kept on playing as we were before. A deserved win I think.
"There is not a specific game-plan from the back, we always want to press the opponent high. The game-plan - Dominik [Szoboszlai] played from the right, but today we played him from the left.
"Last season Man Utd were man-marking on the midfield, this season they are on a nine and ten press with a 4-4-2. In my opinion they are working harder when the ball is played through them so they run more - that is what I saw in the first games from them.
"Today we showed a lot of moments where the forwards tracked back so aggressively and that is what we need if you want to win these games."
Slotted homeCredit: GETTY Ten Hag
We should be hearing from Erik ten Hag shortly, folks. Should be interesting to hear what he's got to say about today's performance.
Up next
Oh you know what's up next, a pesky international break.
It'll come as something of a relief for the likes of Manchester United, Everton and Southampton perhaps. The Red Devils will want to get new signing Manuel Ugarte into the fold.
Must also remember that they are without Leny Yoro, Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw.
Anyway, United's next games come thick and fast against Southampton (a), Barnsley (H), Crystal Palace (a), Twente (H) and Tottenham (H).
As for Liverpool, they'll want to continue the momentum and hope all their international stars return back fit.
They've got: Nottingham Forest (H), AC Milan (a), Bournemouth (H), Wolves (a) and Bologna (H).
We want to achieve greatness - Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk speaking to Sky Sports: "It's a proud moment. What pleased me the most was the performance from start to finish. We want to enjoy ourselves out there and the only way to do that is with the hard work we put in. We dominated and should have scored more. Winning 3-0 is a big improvement from last year.
"We had to stay focused and we did very well. I'm very proud of the boys.
"Joshua Zirkzee plays now as a striker for them but I know he likes to drop and receive the ball to his feet. We know they like to do this passing in behind but we nullified it quickly. Our game plan worked. We kept patient.
"What Jurgen Klopp said in one of his last interviews is the new manager inherited a very good squad. The manager left but the players didn't. We are not satisfied with just competing.
"We want to achieve greatness this season. I'm not competing in any competition just to compete, I want to win. We come up against a very good team in Man City and Arsenal. Our consistency is looking good, after the international break could be interesting when playing every three days. I'm certainly enjoying the ride."
Virgil's "enjoying the ride"Credit: GETTY Contract is not up to me - Mohamed Salah
Roy Keane suggested it was something of an easy game for Liverpool today, to which Mohamed Salah responded: "I agree with you, I was a little surprised. The game could have finished five or six.
“The new manager comes with his style and he wants everyone to adapt, he had a few meetings with senior groups saying you need to set an example for the younger players.
“To be fair I was coming to the game it could be the last time [playing at Old Trafford]. Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts.
“It is not up to me, it is up to the club."
My last year - Mohamed Salah
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, speaking to Sky Sports: “A great result. Everyone knows the derby is important for the fans and the city. We need to carry on and if you want to fight for the league you have to win each game.
"I managed to be involved in three so I am happy about that. The manager likes us to press high and there was a couple of mistakes and we managed to use them - it was part of the plan.
"With Jurgen we were always like this to get the ball as high as possible. Quite similar from seven years ago, the manager has his own system and we try to adapt that.
"I had a good summer, a long time to stay with myself and think positively a bit, this is my last year with the club and I want to enjoy it.
"I feel I am free to play football – we will see what happens next year...”
Being something of a Football Manager expert - I'd offer him a new deal. Just a suggestion.
Credit: GETTY No more Mo?
Mohamed Salah came out to speak with Sky Sports after the match. Quite a lot of that interview was him fielding questions about his future.
I'll have the full quotes for you shortly, but he did admit that this could possibly be his last visit to Old Trafford as a Liverpool player.
He also said that it will come down to the club, suggesting that if he gets the terms he's looking for - he'll stay. Yes, I might have paraphrased quite a bit there - but you can read for yourself soon.
We don't need to be pointing fingers - Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes to Sky Sports: "We started the game really well and got more chances. We have to be more clinical, this happened against Fulham too. They were clinical.
"The goals are always self-inflicted. You need to commit a mistake to give them the goal. We don't need to be pointing fingers at everyone. that won't help us now. When you concede a goal you can't just point at one mistake. What's the point in saying Casemiro lost the ball or Kobbie [Mainoo] lost the ball? They lost the ball because they wanted to be brave. It's part of football. Don't make it individual.
"Casemiro is more experienced than me. I don't need to tell him anything, he knows what football is about. He's played for the two best clubs in the world. Kobbie is an excellent kid. I want him to try more and do this because it's part of his game. They are huge players for us and will keep being.
"We don't have to look at the past. We just have to make it different. We lost the game, congratulations to Liverpool, they were more clinical. I don't look at the stats but the game was tight."
Credit: GETTY "Absolutely shocking" - Roy Keane
Sky Sports' Roy Keane said: "The statistics don't tell the story. It was far from an even game. Liverpool were very good and very efficient. They looked stronger and they looked fitter. You can try to dress it up a little bit but United were shocking.
"They were absolutely shocking. Every time Liverpool went forward, they looked like they were going to score. There were two mistakes from an experienced player [Casemiro] and then another mistake at the start of the second half.
"It wasn't good. There's been a lot of PR the last few months about plans for the stadium and blah, blah, blah. But in a big game today against Liverpool, United didn't turn up."
Not happyCredit: GETTY
I will help the team - Diaz
Luis Diaz to Sky Sports (translated by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson): "He's very happy to score goals and help the team. He said the most important thing is the team is doing well and winning these important games.
"He's looking forward to the rest. He is so happy and he wants to keep that rhythm and keep going.
"He says it's what we, as strikers, have to do - score goals and get assists. He will keep working in a humble way to help the team achieve our goals."
I [still] love Jurgen Klopp - Alisson
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson speaking to Sky Sports: "You are right. I [still] love Jurgen Klopp. I will love him for the rest of my life, he knows that.
"But the determination, the quality of our manager [Arne Slot] and the way he works… He demands from the team.
"Everyone is working their socks off. It's a third clean sheet in a row. It is not only that we are saving them at the back - the team is working so hard. This is the mentality that the manager wants us to have."
Title challengers?
Jamie Carragher certainly thinks so.
He told Sky Sports: "Coming into this game, I actually thought it was bigger for Erik ten Hag than it was for Arne Slot.
"For Liverpool having won the first two games, even a draw here wouldn't have been the end of the world. It's historically a tough place to go but Liverpool have really enjoyed themselves here.
"What this does is give the supporters and the players real belief. The majority of the players have won everything there is to win…
"It gives them real belief in a manager moving forward that maybe this team is closer to challenging for the league title than many people think."
Salah's on fireCredit: GETTY Humiliation for Manchester United
Erik Ten Hag is convinced he will get his message across eventually, but is it all double Dutch.
There are enough of them from Holland in the coaching staff and on the pitch.
But the only man orchestrating a beautiful game from the Netherlands here at Old Trafford was his opposite number Arne Slot.
This was a humiliation for Manchester United, a masterclass in ruthless efficiency from Liverpool.
Read the full report HERE
Defeat