Manchester United end wait for Anfield win as Maguire header stuns Liverpool

Manchester United fans recognise the pre-match shiver of optimism. Maybe it is blind hope but they know that their team have been able to raise their level in some of the very biggest Premier League matches under Ruben Amorim. They know there have been signs of improvement this season. And was this not a good time to play Liverpool?

It is often the case that it is the prompt for a sharp reality check. After all, nobody ever really knows which United will turn up. Here, it was the version that Amorim has craved, the one he has claimed has been ready to show itself on a regular basis.

United had not won at Anfield for nine years. They had never previously recorded back-to-back league victories under Amorim. They chased the demons from their backs with a performance and result to offer the promise of better times.

They rode their luck. Liverpool hit the woodwork three times through the dangerous Cody Gakpo. And, in the 87th minute, before the eight that were added on for stoppages, Gakpo somehow blew a close-range header when unmarked in front of goal. That was the point at which Liverpool knew it would not be their day; their losing run in all competitions now extending to four.

Minutes earlier, United had produced the moment that will stand the test of time. Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s early goal after a second-half surge from Liverpool and it felt as though the scene was set for the champions to push for the winner.

United had other ideas. Driven by the outstanding Matheus Cunha, they showed their character. And when Bruno Fernandes shaped a wonderful first-time volleyed cross from the left on the second phase of a United corner, there was Harry Maguire to head them in front. Remember this game last season which finished 2‑2 when Maguire had lifted over a stoppage-time chance to win it? This time, he was the hero.

For Liverpool, it added up to a third successive league defeat, a result that left them four points behind the league leaders, Arsenal. The situation is hardly drastic and yet it is clear that all is not well for Arne Slot and his expensively regeared team, the cohesion and conviction lacking.

Virgil van Dijk, the captain, talked of how Liverpool were too rushed, their decision-making rash. It was also an eye-opener to see how open they were when they lost possession, how they allowed United to play, starting in the very first minute.

Alexis Mac Allister had been poleaxed after jumping for a high ball in the middle of the field with Van Dijk and Mbeumo; the replays showed that Van Dijk caught him with a stray elbow while Mbeumo also seemed to leave something on him. United played quickly, Mbeumo jumping up to make a run in behind. It was Fernandes out to Amad Diallo, whose pass set up Mbeumo’s finish from a tight angle.

Slot cut an agitated figure in the early going. He watched the patch‑up operation on Mac Allister, which left the midfielder playing on in a rugby‑style scrum cap. How had it not been a foul on him? Slot was even more perplexed when Gakpo blasted over a cross in the 18th minute, which hit Diallo’s hand. The decision was that it was not in an unnatural position.

The first half flew by, chances at both ends. Liverpool moved up through the gears to advertise the equaliser but United more than held their own. They were happy to play long and there was a confidence about their work on the ball, plenty of nice interchanges. Cunha, in particular, showed his personality in possession.

Gakpo thought he had equalised when he surged on to a Mohamed Salah pass only to rattle the far post. It was the prompt for a patch of pressure at the other end, United rueing a big miss by Fernandes: it was a cut‑back from Diallo and the captain’s shot from about 12 yards kissed the outside of the post.

Giorgi Mamardashvili would drop a Cunha cross and he was almost punished by Mason Mount, while there was a vital tackle from the Liverpool goalkeeper to thwart Mbeumo after a loose Milos Kerkez pass. Mamardashvili then kept out Mount from distance.

Back came Liverpool. Twice, Alexander Isak failed to finish before the interval, the second one the clear opportunity after a through-ball from Ibrahima Konaté. Isak was to the right of goal; Senne Lammens saved well with his feet. In between times, a Gakpo cross deflected off Fernandes and came back off the far post.

Liverpool pushed on after the second-half restart, Gakpo once again hitting the upright after a swerve inside and, with Slot turning the dial firmly towards attack with his substitutions, Salah lashed another chance wide.

Liverpool deserved the goal that brought them parity. It was scruffy, United struggling to clear their lines and the final pass came from Federico Chiesa, one of the many forward‑thinking changes. Gakpo had a tap-in. Maguire, though, summoned the most stunning of responses.