Manchester United versus Liverpool was surely the highlight fixture of PL Match Day 3. The Red Devils were looking to rebound from a disappointing 2-1 loss to Brighton. However, Luis Diaz's brace in the first half and Mohammed Salah's goal in the second half led to a 3-0 defeat of United at Old Trafford. There has been a lot of talk about why United lost that game, but three things stand out to me.
1. Casemiro has fallen short of expectations.
The Brazilian midfielder pales in comparison to the star who sold us on the 2022–23 season. He's lost his athleticism, and all he did against Liverpool was give the ball away. Luis Diaz's two goals were the result of his mistakes. If Ten Hag wants an excuse to start Manuel Ugarte against Southampton, he has one.
2. Dropping Amad
The Amad cameo gave us hope for attack, which we lacked while he wasn't on the pitch. He was eager to take on Liverpool defenders. Despite being on the pitch for 20 minutes, only Mohammed Salah (with 11) had more touches (6 more) in the opposition box than him. Amad brought the fight to Liverpool's defence, something United did not do. If Garnacho was a must-start, he should have played instead of Rashford on the left wing, while Amad should have been an obvious starter on the right. Liverpool's
3. Struggling in front of the goal.
Manchester United made 3 big chances and squandered them all; Liverpool had 4 big chances and scored 3. This season, scoring has been a challenge, even against Fulham and Brighton; the problem has not been in creating chances but burying them. Yes, United had a better XG; Liverpool only had 1.7 xG, compared to United's 1.4 xG, but what did they do with it?
With the international break here with us, it will be some time before Manchester United responds to the loss to Liverpool. Nonetheless, Ten Hag must devise a resurgence plan because Red Devil's tolerance is wearing thin.