Mbeumo leads Manchester United route of Liverpool at Anfield
Manchester United ended our Anfield hoodoo with a brilliant 2-1 win against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire ensured a hard-fought victory for Ruben Amorim’s side, who were asked to dig deep for large parts of the contest.
Cody Gakpo did level the game with 78 minutes on the clock, but it was to be the Reds’ Day, earning a first win at Anfield since 2016.
That result was met with wholesale admiration from our traveling fans, as United jumped to ninth in the early-season table.
FIRST HALF
It took Ruben Amorim’s side just over a minute to open the scoring on Merseyside, with Virgil van Dijk colliding with his own man to leave the home side one short.
The subsequent attack saw fluidity personified, as Fernandes picked up the scraps before playing in Amad. The Ivorian’s neat assist left Mbeumo with the simplest of tasks, as he thrashed home past Giorgi Mamardashvili.
After that Arne Slot’s men upped the ante as Van Dijk headed wide, before Gakpo saw his penalty claims waved away as the encounter began at a staggering pace.
Gakpo picked himself up as we reached the 20-minute mark to go again, latching onto a sublime pass from Mohamed Salah, before crashing his effort off the post.
Anfield burst into a touching tribute for the late Diogo Jota soon after, as football continues to mourn the tragic loss of the 28-year-old Liverpool forward.
On the pitch, you couldn’t take your eyes off the action, with Bruno smashing a rasping shot off the post, after some brilliant work from Amad on the right flank.
Chances quickly followed for Mason Mount and Mbeumo, before the woodwork came to United’s rescue again as Gakpo again struck the frame of the goal with his cross.
The final action of the first half saw Alexander Isak force an important stop from Senne Lammens, as Merseyside rested momentarily.
SECOND HALF
It was the hosts who flew out of the blocks as the second half began, with Gakpo crashing a third effort against the woodwork with a right-footed strike.
Salah shot into the ground as Liverpool continued to come forward, with Slot opting for wholesale change soon after.
On came Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Curtis Jones, with fresh impetus soon proving to be the correct call from the Dutchman.
Ekitike was involved pretty much straight away as a breakaway chance saw him drive forward on the left. His curling drive sailed wide of Lammens’s goal.
Sub Benjamin Sesko made his presence felt following his introduction shortly after, forcing Ibrahima Konate into a wonderful tackle as United’s lead remained.
For all his efforts, Gakpo got what he asked for after 78 minutes, steering home Federico Chiesa’s low cross into the box to make it 1-1.
But as we all know by now, cometh the hour, cometh the man, and there was still to be late drama on Merseyside.
Fernandes’s brilliant ball into the box looped and looped in the air for what felt like an eternity, before Maguire came up clutch to steer home the Reds’ second.
The towering England international was left with a free header to guide into the Liverpool net, with just six to go on the clock.
Liverpool missed a glorious chance to instantly bite back with Gakpo squandering an equally as inviting header from close range, which most of Anfield could not believe he had spurned.
Matthijs de Ligt also went close to adding a third with his own effort late on, but it was Ruben’s Reds that hung on for a famous victory.
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Kerkez, Van Dijk (c), Konate, Bradley (Wirtz 62); Mac Allister (Ekitike 62), Gravenberch (Jones 62); Gakpo, Szoboslzai, Salah (Frimpong 85); Isak (Chiesa 72).
Subs not used: Woodman, Gomez, Robertson, Ngumoha.
Goal: Gakpo 78.
United: Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw (Yoro 85); Amad (Dorgu 59), Casemiro (Ugarte, 58), Fernandes (c) (Mainoo 85), Dalot; Mbeumo, Mount (Sesko 61); Cunha.
Subs not used: Bayindir, Heaven, Mazraoui, Zirkzee.
Goals: Mbeumo 2, Maguire 84.
Booked: Amad, Casemiro.
