[hellhunter]

I was very confused agreeing with every single sub

 

[Denis79]

Also we got "lucky" that Nunez wasn't available, and instead they used awful Firminho. Those free headers on corners/set pieces could be different if Nunez was present.

Nah.

 

[Denis79]

I was very confused agreeing with every single sub

I was in a confused haze the whole game . Couldn't quite grasp what was going on.

 

[RedDevilQuebecois]

 

[Buster15]

A lot of credit must go to the manager because ETH got the tactics spot on. Pushing Elanga into the space that TAA always leaves.
And not trying to pass through midfield but exposing Liverpool high line.
And of course his excellent team selection.
The rest of the squad know now who is in charge and who calls the shots.

Up to the rest now to earn their place.

Very well done. Great performance and great result.

 

[Born2Lose]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

 

[norm87cro]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

Yeah we should have been going toe to toe with a superior side and get smashed. I can agree if we were playing Bringhton but it was Liverpool. The guy has had 3 league games give him a break

 

[hellhunter]

Yeah we should have been going toe to toe with a superior side and get smashed. I can agree if we were playing Bringhton but it was Liverpool. The guy has had 3 league games give him a break

After losing at home to Brighton and getting hammered vs Brentford no less.

Pragmatic approach was great to see, and over large periods of the game, we looked the better side

 

[mitchmouse]

I actually have forgotten the last time I enjoyed watching us so this was wonderful in many ways. No doubt now that the first choice CB pairing cannot involve Maguire. Right from the start, we looked different at the back and the whole experience felt different. As I said elsewhere, Martinez's height shouldn't hold him back if he had the right person next to him on the cover. He looked fiery and confident while Varane was cool and calm throughout. Malacia added to that confidence and all that seemed to help Dalot too.

I still think we need to add to the midfield but Eriksen did well without looking flashy and won a lot of battles as did Scotty (although maybe panicked a bit just before Liverpool's goal). Been saying he would be a better player with better players around him. I thought Bruno was good, although maybe not quite as good as some on commentary said. He did chase down more and made much better decisions and this was his best game for months.

Elanga started well but faded quickly and I still think we need a real centre forward. Although Martial created Rashford's goal with a very well timed pass (I did think he was going to hold on to the ball too long) and rashford himself had a good game, I still don't see them as out-and-out goal-scorers. I'd like someone who is capable of 20 PL goals a season.

Those saying Liverpool's missing players didn't make any difference are letting things run away with themselves. Of course they missed them - was it nine unavailable (although I'd say only two or three were definite starters) so of course it made a difference. That said, the old adage is right: you can only play against those facing you.

It's a shame we still can't keep a clean sheet but it was great to see us going long from the back. Some will argue that you lose the ball more than way, but I'd rather lose it on the halfway line than the edge of our own area and it was really good to see (one of the best points for me) tht having conceded we didn't panic or let our heads drop and never really looked in danger of letting in an equaliser.

A word of praise for ETH is due too. Not just for dropping Maguire (and Ronaldo for those who want him gone) but also getting the team up after two awful games. maybe they should go for long runs every week!

But the real test starts now. Winning this is pretty meaningless if we fail to turn up at St Mary's on Saturday. We need to go on a bit of a run and show we play more than one way and win away from home too (family event means I probably won't see much, if any, the game)

 

[crossy1686]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

What? You realise the performance lead to the result right? For all Liverpools possession they didn’t test De Gea once. Not a single person is arsed about possession when you dominate a team with a press like that.

If we’re going to get anything out of this season we have to play like that most matches. They aren’t good enough to camp in the oppo half and keep possession. I’d rather see playing out from then back combined with a counter any day.

 

[Jaap]

Hate to squash the optimism here but we have had these types of wins against the bigger sides relatively often in the last seasons.

I just hope we can back this up against Southampton on Saturday & in the upcoming weeks.

 

[dutchred]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH

You need different approaches according to the opposition. ETH got it right and he shows that he can be flexible with the approach. It was perfect strategy for a team with a high line, ( as Brighton showed against us)

 

[crossy1686]

Hate to squash the optimism here but we have had these types of wins against the bigger sides relatively often in the last seasons.

I just hope we can back this up against Southampton on Saturday & in the upcoming weeks.

This can’t be a false dawn. If we revert to type against Southampton then yesterday was a waste of time. I don’t know what it was but they seemed a lot hungrier yesterday, I think they set a standard for themselves and hopefully it continues

 

[RaddyRed]

Hate to squash the optimism here but we have had these types of wins against the bigger sides relatively often in the last seasons.

I just hope we can back this up against Southampton on Saturday & in the upcoming weeks.

True. But it's been a very long time since the players showed that level of passion and will to win.

 

[whitbyviking]

Grinning from ear to ear this morning. The new midfield boss on the pitch pre-match, a performance that most of the players can be happy with and....oh yeah....beating that lot and moving above them in the table.

All aboard the ETH hype train, choo choo

 

[Tincanalley]

sancho laying milner on his hole while van dijk did his dance to 'tiger feet' by mud is certainly one to remember.

Slippy ‘where the feck were youuuu’ Milner!

 

[always_hoping]

@Amadaeus

Does people still pay attention to that wum, he must feel lost with Poch out of work again?

 

[Tincanalley]

What does he say to Neville?

Glazers out

 

[fps]

The Manchester United players tried ever so well and they deserved victory, it was great to overturn all their critics.

P.S. I was right United are better without Ronaldo playing.

He destabilised the club so much by returning. Ole could’ve spent that crazy wage money on a CM.

 

[Zlatans Knee]

Slippy ‘where the feck were youuuu’ Milner!

Martinez leaving Milner in a heap behind the goal line was good fun as well, Milner looked at him like "how dare you?"

 

[Oranges038]

Allowed them a lot of the ball, but they never really looked threatening. Missed Fabinho and Thiago in the middle.

Sometimes I think it doesn't matter how you win, you just need a win. For me the intensity and mentality on display was the most important thing.

 

[iHicksy]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

Guess you must have missed all the games under Fergie at OT where we parked the bus vs the likes of Madrid and went for the counter. Hell, in his final two seasons i saw more banks of 4 outside our own area than anytime since. I guess you complained that wasn't acceptable then too?

 

[always_hoping]

He destabilised the club so much by returning. Ole could’ve spent that crazy wage money on a CM.

Oles United was on the slide to destabilising towards the end of 2020/21 season.

Wages and transfer fees are done by the Glazers business men buddies not the managers. Their pure incompetence took until this season to finally sign a CDM.

 

[Judas]

I found Bruno's antics all a bit tragic, I love a bit of shithousery but I don't know, still just wanted him to get a grip

 

[little.triangles]

We lost control of the game when Sancho was taken off. It was back to McT and Fred in the middle and Fernandes on the right and none of them can hold onto the ball. The thing about Martial and Sancho is that they can keep the ball in tight areas. This is why somebody like de Jong would be a game changer for this team.

Even with just Casemiro coming in, I hope we never see McT and Fred together again. One of them is fine (though McT is not United level by any means).

 

[Polar]

Yeah there’s something wrong at Liverpool, VVD and Milner arguing a couple of times. Klopp’s seven year itch? He had that at Dortmund. Great times for us coming with Ten Hag!

Yes.. It was almost unbelievable to watch Liverpool start with Henderson, Elliot and Milner in a midfield three. That composition is almost bottom half PL standard.

I think Liverpool is over the top and has to use the next couple of years to renew the squad in order to compete for titles. City will be very lonely on the top this season.

The fight for top-4 will be a tight race between Tottenham, United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, with maybe Newcastle as an outsider.

 

[Tincanalley]

In the words of Erik Ten Hag; "They can fecking play good football"

My own addition; "When they can be fecking arsed"

Keeping it going... that's the true measure of a good team. I hope they can do it.

Does feck rhyme with luck?

 

[GoldanoGraham]

When I saw their midfield of
Elliott, Horrendousson & Milner I knew we would win. That is a championship midfield.

I said it before - they won’t make top 3 - Mane leaving will destabilise that team massively.

Diaz a good player but all that Liverpool fawning about VVD - he was poor as was TAA.

That team peaked last year - they’ve been on a steady decline since last spring and Nunez isn’t the answer.

Also - loved the fact that that twat Carragher has been shown to no sweet FA about Martinez - and loved Ronnie blanking him last night!

 

[SteveTheRed]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

You're living in the past. What does having 70% of the possession achieve ? Do you win games on possession ?

Agree with your comments on Neville though. He lost the plot a bit - "can't believe what I've witnessed" Roy was more on point , we did the basic right - outworked , intense , clinical in possession

 

[r3idy]

Well the morning after the night before. What impressed me was in the first or second minute that was a little coming together with Martinez and Salah. THAT set the tone. My house, you are not coming here to take the p1ss. I think that really threw Salah. That kind of tenacity from Martinez and Mallacia have been missing for some time now.

Credit to Rashford, he's been taking pelters in the last 18 months and rightly so. He played very well.

On a side note, is it possible that one of the key traits LFC scouting department look for is the ability to grow a new age scouse perm. There is a LOT of players with said scouse mop in their squad.

 

[2 man midfield]

I won’t hear a bad word said against Red Nev. legend.

 

[crossy1686]

 

[hellhunter]

I just can't hate him. If he was our coach, we'd all absolutely love him, even if he's a bit unhinged and mental at times

 

[Tincanalley]

Wow, really did not see this coming. Very good energy at times. Still a lot of work to do and we absolutely need more top quality players.

However, I was surprised how poor Liverpool were. Of course they had a long list of absent players, but their midfield looked like McFred, the defense was overwhelmed (should have been 3-1 or 4-1 easily) at times and they seemed quite exhausted. To be fair I have never heard of any of their bench players bar Fabinho and 1 or 2 others.

And they really miss Mane. He was so vital for the flow of their attack and while Nunez might score a ton of goals he cannot replace these abilities.

Let's not get carried away. I would not be surprised to be back to cold harsh reality on Saturday.

Interesting nick. I would not be that pessimistic. But you are entirely right about Mane - massive loss to the Pool. Also Milner seems out of steam; VVD lost his mojo, and TAA was targeted and folded. You could literally see confidence ebbing away from them. Not sure how United kick on from this, but make no mistake this is a deep hurt to Liverpool. Cracks showing, bad vibes, doubt; etc.

 

[fps]

Oles United was on the slide to destabilising towards the end of 2020/21 season.

Wages and transfer fees are done by the Glazers business men buddies not the managers. Their pure incompetence took until this season to finally sign a CDM.

You’re right. If Ole had his time again I’m sure he would have said no the Ronaldo deal though.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I just can't hate him. If he was our coach, we'd all absolutely love him, even if he's a bit unhinged and mental times

He’s just so obviously one of the good guys. I find all the hating on him incredibly childish.

 

[OpenIntrovert]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

There is no such thing as acceptable or unacceptable style of football. Its about what you can do to win with the team you have and ETH did that correctly. The best managers are not the managers who always want to play the best football, but rather the ones who can always find a way to win even if it is not the aesthetically pleasing approach.

Another problem is the way you guys see "performance". Performance is not just about style of play, rather its about your overall mentality, willingness to defend and attack as a team and making the opportunities count when it matters. We did all of that in this game which is a top level performance.

 

[Tincanalley]

I'll take the result but that type of football wasn't acceptable when Ole was here and it shouldn't be with EtH.

Under 30% possession at OT against a poor Liverpool side is hardly a sign of a great revolution. Still it showed EtH can be pragmatic if needed which was a good sign.

Think Gary Neville must have been high with his over the top praise for the performance.

Haha. Hilarious.

 

[hellhunter]

He’s just so obviously one of the good guys. I find all the hating on him incredibly childish.

He spouts some nonsense from time to time, but then who hasn't ('he could've been killed!'). Like you say, it's quite apparent that he's a good guy valuing all the great things about football and topping it off with an unlimited amount of passion for the sport in general and his clubs in particular. I'd like to think he'd be totally on board with our protest against the Glazers, for example

 

[GregM40]

Fantastic result, and one I doubt many saw coming. It’s nice to go about your week nice and smug for a change.

Couple of uncomfortable truths for some fans, Ronaldo and Maguire have been holding the team back. Ronaldo is where he needs to be, on the bench to be used as an impact sub or in cup games.