Last night you all saw an upset. Maybe it is an upset, maybe it isn't. Depends on your perspective and whether you judge a club by their stature or their recent form. But Manchester United did manage to beat Liverpool at Old Trafford by two goals to one. This means that after three games Liverpool are still winless and Manchester United are finally out of the relegation zone. Without wasting words let's have a look at what actually went wrong for Liverpool or what went right for Manchester United.
Liverpool had the lion's share of possession so I'd go over their on the ball movement first. Liverpool as usual tried to build from the back but their two center backs got pressurized by United forwards. And Bruno mostly tied down Liverpool's pivot to close the passing lanes. The pressure forced Liverpool to pass to the fullbacks. One of the fullback to often tuck in to give a man advantage while the other pushed high. The fullback that pushed high was marked by another United winger. So what Liverpool had to do is to make a double pivot.
Also Firmino dropped into the midfield which caused an overload in the midfield. This is how they initially progressed the ball. But it wasn't getting them any breakthrough. So they tried to play it in the wide areas. Especially in the right hand side. As you know Trent is more offensive than Robertson. Also Salah. So whenever Firmino dropped deep Harvey Elliot was free in the half spaces and made a triangle with Salah and Trent. This was their best bet. Salah and Trent occupied the United fullback and winger and because of it Elliot could exploit the half spaces and look for Salah or Diaz. Or when Salah was cutting in taking a fullback with him, Elliot could receive in the space in behind to create chances. But all that just for a late consolation.
United had very little possession. So they didn't have the luxury to build up play. Which is also why we didn't see De Gea messing up again. De Gea went for long balls last night. Although most were unsuccessful but it helped because the single pivot Eriksen didn't have to progress the ball forward through a stiff Liverpool press. They maintained a 4-2-4 formation off the ball to make a 4 v 4 situation at the back for United and didn't let them any room to pass through the midfield. Long balls were the only hope. Especially after Liverpool were trailing they pushed both their fullbacks high. This made a huge gap in behind which every team in the world exploits. Some succeed some don't. United did. Eriksen and Bruno's passing range helped release runs by Sancho and Rashford in behind the Liverpool fullbacks which eventually led to many chances. Robertson and Trent both were caught off position and have been exploited by an energetic front three.
Dropping Ronaldo was a hard choice to make for Ten Hag. It was a lot of pressure from the board and some fans (because a lot didn't actually wanted Ronaldo to start) and the media. But it turned out to be fruitful as it game United more mobility. Liverpool and Klopp have a lot to worry about though. They haven't been the same since Mane left. The valuable link is missing.
