After 10 minutes and the concession of a goal that reeked of calamitous defending by at least four Liverpool defenders – Fabinho, Rhys Williams, Thiago Alcantara and, finally, Nat Phillips – that allowed Bruno Fernandes to get away a shot from the corner of the Liverpool area with the outside of his boot, which may or may not have been going in, that Alisson Becker may or may not have saved, variables that discombobulated Phillips who tried to block the effort but got his leg in the way of the ball’s flight too late and deflecting it into the corner of the net.
Liverpool struggled to react and it looked as if the disappointment of conceding such a sloppy goal might prompt them to drop their heads and allow Man Utd to score a second. However, a penalty given after Eric Bailly looked to have fouled Phillips, subsequently overturned by referee Anthony Taylor after advice from the VAR, seemed to galvanise Liverpool and in the next attack a scramble in the area allowed Diogo Jota to stab the ball home and equalise.
For the next half an hour of the game, Liverpool were excellent, cutting Manchester United apart, looking as if they could score at will. In first half injury time, Liverpool deservedly took the lead. A free kick on the right was brilliantly swung in from the right from man-of-the-match Trent Alexander Arnold, finding Roberto Firmino at the far post, who out-manoeuvred Paul Pogba, and powered a header into the back of the net for the Brazilian’s first ever goal at Old Trafford.
Liverpool scored a third two minutes into the second half after a strike from Alexander Arnold was spilled by Dean Henderson into the path of Firmino, who expertly finished for his second of the night.
For the next 20 minutes, Liverpool were rampart, creating chance after chance and it looked as if they could embarrass Man Utd, looking like a side who’d been forced to play three games in five days. Jota had the best chance for a fourth when he was put through after some fantastic one-touch passing from Salah and then Firmino and he should have beaten the onrushing Henderson but clipped the outside of the post instead.
Jota’s miss looked as if it might prove costly when, on 68 minutes, Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for the home side, latching onto a through pass from Edinson Cavani and squeezing the ball passed Becker.
Liverpool’s season now hung in the balance. After going 3-1 up and looking in total control, they now came under sustained pressure from a rejuvenated Manchester United, aiming to deliver a humiliating blow to their biggest rival’s chances of rising up the league table. A goal-line clearance from Phillips followed by a sensational block from his centre-back partner Rhys Williams kept Liverpool’s lead in tact.
Then as Manchester United threw the kitchen sink at Liverpool, substitute Nemanja Matic contrived to lose the ball in the Liverpool half allowing Curtis Jones to put Mo Salah through to race from the halfway line into the United penalty area where he cooly slotted the ball passed Henderson to secure Liverpool’s deserved victory.
Qualifying for the Champions League is now in Liverpool’s hands. If they win their last remaining three games – against West Brom and Burnley away then home against Crystal Palace – then they will end up in third or fourth, which would be significant consolation and offer some hope for the future after what has been a traumatic season for the Reds.
