Manchester United marked the belated launch of a new era under Erik Ten Hag as they deservedly beat rivals Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Having lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford in their opening two games of the new campaign, the Red Devils looked transformed as they outfought and out-thought their arch-rivals to earn their first win under the Dutchman.
Goals in either half from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford gave the revitalized hosts an advantage that they refused to surrender even after Mohamed Salah’s late header set up a potentially grandstand finish.
And that has left Jurgen Klopp searching for answers to a poor start that has seen his side return two draws and a defeat.
Ten Hag’s tough love pays off
Ten Hag’s decision to force his players to take part in a running session the day after their defeat to Brentford was questioned in some quarters.
But the Dutchman’s hardline approach appeared to pay off on Monday evening as his side outfought opponents who are renowned for their hard-working approach under Jurgen Klopp.
By fulltime against Liverpool at Old Trafford, United had run 18.3km more than they had across the 90 minutes in west London.
And that had played no small part in them forcing a team packed with quality into constant mistakes — a key facet of the victory.
Liverpool midfield question persists
If there is one area of the pitch Liverpool fans would most like to see reinforced before the end of the transfer window, it is undoubtedly midfield. The argument for bringing in a fresh face in the center of the park in the next few days was only strengthened by events at Old Trafford.
Admittedly, youngster Harvey Elliott performed well, but he was a rare bright spot in an engine room that largely failed to get to grips with United’s aggression.
Both James Milner and Jordan Henderson were slow to the challenge and sloppy in possession in a way that will have supporters praying it is not too long until Thiago Alcantara returns.
Even then, you still sense that the Reds could do with something new in the middle.
Reds take on ‘crisis club’ baton
United’s dreadful start under Ten Hag had somewhat served to take the attention away from the fact that Liverpool had failed to hit the heights of recent seasons in their first two games.
But make no mistake, a return of two points from a possible nine and the comprehensive nature of their defeat to United means the Reds will face serious scrutiny in the days ahead.
The standards of recent title races suggest that a five-point gap to Manchester City will be difficult to make up, no matter how early in the campaign that has come about.
Klopp must quickly find a solution to his team’s ailing form and under the sort of pressure that is reserved only for the biggest of clubs.