Liverpool – Manchester United: Maguire’s Moment on Merseyside (1-2)

Manchester United went ahead early on and proceeded to try and contain Liverpool's attack which suffered from a lack of cohesion. Arne Slot's second-half risks paid off with an equalizer, but Harry Maguire popped up shortly afterwards to hand United and Ruben Amorim a famous victory.

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

Liverpool suffered three defeats in a row leading up to the most recent international break, with questions being raised over the best way for Arne Slot to set his team up after their summer recruitment. They were looking to get their season back on track in this match against arch-rivals Manchester United, who sought to capitalize on Liverpool's uncertainty and get their first win at Anfield since 2016.

The home side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 shape for this one, with Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, and Milos Kerkez in the back four. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister partnered in midfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai slightly advanced. Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Alexander Isak completed the frontline, with Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike missing out.

Ruben Amorim meanwhile went with his usual 3-4-3 formation, with a back three of Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, and Luke Shaw flanked by Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot at wing-back. Casemiro joined Bruno Fernandes in central midfield, while the frontline consisted of Bryan Mbuemo, Mason Mount, and Matheus Cunha.

Second-ball strategy

The omission of Benjamin Šeško from United's starting lineup was somewhat surprising, especially in a game where they would expect to have . . .