I am not trying to downplay the amazing game that Manchester United played against Liverpool but I would be lying to say that I didn't enjoy that game. I love every bit of it with the intensity that came with it. This is a derby match that lived up to expectations and I wasn't disappointed.
Before the match, I had already prepared my mind for the worst. I discussed it with a lot of people too and the discussion was about Liverpool running riot against Manchester United or the game ends as a draw and I agreed. I was thinking it would be a miracle to have a draw against Liverpool but in all honesty, Liverpool are also having it tough in their opening two games of the season.
Manchester United's struggles aren't new to everyone and I wasn't expecting a convincing performance because I felt last season the derby match against Liverpool would inspire the players but we got whooped. Even when Manchester United led against Liverpool at 1-0, I was hoping to God that it won't be like last season where we always have a decent one-half and the other half is nothing to write home about. We should have scored more but I would take the 2-1 at the final whistle.
I saw a different Rashford, I witnessed a rejuvenated Bruno Fernandes with Eriksen dropping a bit deep. The moment I saw the line-up, I knew it was all about pressing even though a lot of people were sceptical about the line-up. They started making excuses for losing the match before we kicked the ball without understanding what the coach was trying to do. I also admired the bold move he made in benching Harry Maguire and Ronaldo due to the pressing style he wanted to adopt. I can only hope that going forward, our latest recruit; Casemiro can make Eriksen and Fernandes flourish more by giving the steel that is needed in the midfield but let's be honest, I don't really rate Casemiro that high but I don't want to be too quick. Hopefully, his wealth of experience can help us.
I love how we pressed and recovered the second ball even though we still had that element of errors in our game. I saw Varane in another light and Martinez tuned up the beast mode. I also have massive respect for Malacia while Sancho showed us why he was courted in the German league. Rashford turned up too and I must say that I am eating my words right now with him. I sincerely hope he can continue this form so we can look sharp in that attack.
In all fairness to Liverpool, they were missing a lot of their players but they put forward a decent shift. Before Salah got on the score sheet, he was nullified which says a lot about how United shaped up. Just as I have said, I am not reading too much into this game because United can still be United but let's celebrate this little win and hope it can help them go on a decent run as they attempt to go a bit higher up the table.
Manchester United got their first win of the new season and the real concern would be for Liverpool who still hasn't found their first win of the season. Manchester United subjected them to a defeat and halted their 21 games unbeaten in the league. I am not really worried about Liverpool because, with the quality that they have, this team would always bounce back and start racking up the points. This has nothing to do with Sadio Mane as most people have mentioned. It's just a rough and tough start for Liverpool but they will soon come good. The real concern is they shouldn't lose too much ground in the race for the title because even though it is too early, it can still make a huge difference.
Thank you for your time.
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