There was just one bald Dutchman whose side turned up on the night and unfortunately for Manchester United, it was Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side handed the Red Devils and Erik ten Hag a brutal lesson in what is becoming a worrying pattern now.

United started off well and were handed an early reprieve when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s goal was chalked off for offside. However, a Luis Diaz double saw the visitors go up two goals to the good at the break.

Mohamed Salah continued his scoring record against United by notching up the third and almost went on to get another within a minute thanks to Lisandro Martinez’s poor pass.

Liverpool took their foot off the gas in the second half. This coupled with poor finishing largely saved Manchester United from a humiliation. The pressure will now be on Ten Hag to turn things around and get the Red Devils’s season back on track. To call this defeat embarrassing would be an understatement.

Manchester United Player Ratings

GK | Andre Onana (5/10): Woeful in his positioning and shot saving, Onana was a real liability on the night. He should have done better to save Diaz’s second effort at his neat post and was lucky not to be punished for some wayward passing in the second half.

RB | Noussair Mazraoui (6/10): One of United’s top players on the night, the former Bayern Munich star started off strong. He produced what was Manchester United’s best goalscoring opportunity in the first half and recovered from a head injury early in the second half. He faded after that, as Liverpool were content to sit back and protect their lead.

CB | Matthijs de Ligt (5.5/10): The Dutrchman also started off well but looked rattled as Liverpool found their swag. He went into the referee’s book for a rash tackle on Luis Diaz and was replaced by Harry Maguire in the second half.

CB | Lisandro Martinez (5/10): The Butcher made a mockery of his name and was largely a liability for the home side. Some false bravado following a poor tackle on Dominic Szoboszlai earned him a yellow and he looked far from convincing all night. The Argentine certainly was itching for a fight, but his ability to make a difference in the game was sorely lacking.

LB | Diogo Dalot (6.5/10): Arguably Manchester United’s player on the night. Dalot did well on his flank and even got forward well when afforded the opportunity. Dalot fizzled away as the match went on but he was not helped with the lack of fight around him.

CM | Casemiro (3/10): Truly abject. The veteran was second best all night as Ryan Gravenberch ran rings around him. His mistakes were heavily punished as well as Diaz capitalized twice to score in the first half. It came as no surprise that Casemiro was pulled at half-time for Tony Collyer. With Manuel Ugarte now at the club, the Brazilian is far from a first choice going forward,

CM | Kobbie Mainoo (5/10): Some good touches but the youngster was easily second-best to Ryan Gravenberch on most occasions. He also earned himself a yellow card for his troubles.

RW | Alejandro Garnacho (5/10): Made some good runs but poor decision-making in the final third saw those opportunities fizz away. He was replaced by Amad Diallo in the second half.

CAM | Bruno Fernandes (4/10): A poor performance from the skipper who might as well have dressed up as the invisible man for the Halloween party. Fernandes’s lack of impact following by his play-acting at times came across as more frustrating given United’s rudderless display.

LW | Marcus Rashford (5/10): Another disappointing night for the Red Devils star who failed to trouble Trent Alexander-Arnold. Rashford’s best moment came in the second half when he tried to assist Zirkzee only for the striker to put his effort wide.

ST | Joshua Zirkzee (6/10): The Dutchman earned an early yellow for bringing down Mohamed Salah but improved after the break. While Zirkzee did have several opportunities, he failed to hit the target or was thwarted comfortably by Alisson Becker. A frustrating night for the Manchester United new boy.

Substitutes:

Tony Collyer => Casemiro(5/10): The youngster was an improvement given Casemiro’s disaster class but did not do anything to stand out.

Harry Maguire => Matthijs de Ligt (5/10): Maguire had little to do given that Liverpool largely took their foot off the gas. Still can consider himself lucky that Liverpool did not score on his watch.

Amad Diallo => Alejandro Garnacho (5/10): There was no lack of intent but the youngster lacked the ability to actually make a difference on the field.

Christian Eriksen => Joshua Zirkzee (NA): Came on with the match decided. Little to write home about.