Manchester United lost 3-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford
Manchester United suffered successive Premier League losses as Liverpool eased past them with a 3-0 scoreline at Old Trafford in their matchday three clash in the Premier League on Sunday, 1st September.
The Red Devils were outplayed despite making a decent start to the game. Luis Diaz scored twice while Mohamed Salah extended his fantastic record against United with a neat second-half finish.
Man United are currently 14th in the league with just one win so far and it is fair to say, they are staring down the barrel very early on in the season. Here is a look at the three talking points from their defeat to Liverpool.
1. Pressure grows on Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag’s job as the Manchester United coach was only salvaged by the FA Cup win last season but after two straight defeats to start 2024/25, the Dutchman is bound to be under even more pressure this time around.
He has no hiding place, especially after the club accorded with his wishes in the transfer window and spent lavishly to majorly overhaul all of the areas that were lacking through the course of the 2023/24 campaign.
Ten Hag needs to find a solution to the team’s all-around woes and faces a race against time to do so. What he has in store will be important in determining how much time he is given to resolve things despite remaining bullish after the defeat.
2. Casemiro’s performance left a lot to be desired
Casemiro started the season on a decent note and there was optimism that he could restore his form from his Real Madrid days after an inconsistent couple of years at Old
Trafford, especially last season.
The midfielder, however, was clearly at fault when he gave the ball away for United’s first and was also dispossessed for the second. He was eventually taken off at half-time with Ten Hag introducing Toby Collyer in his place.
Once Manuel Ugarte is fit to play, it is likely that Casemiro will be relegated to the bench. The Uruguayan may need some more time to gain match fitness though, as per Ten Hag.
3. What next for Rashford?
It has been yet another lacklustre start to the season for Marcus Rashford. He has yet to find the back of the net this season and was widely criticised for another lethargic display against Liverpool.
The Englishman continues to have his manager’s faith, however, but it remains to be seen how much longer he can keep getting away with substandard performances time and again, especially on the bigger days of the season.
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If the player is not able to exponentially improve his form in the next few weeks, Ten Hag could be forced to deploy Alejandro Garnacho on the left flank instead while he may also rue Jadon Sancho’s departure to Chelsea.
