Five things we learned as Mainoo fires Man United past Liverpool

Mentality issues remain

From coasting at half-time to falling apart within 15 minutes, Manchester United’s opening to the second half brought back all the old ghosts from campaigns of the miserable recent past. Carrick’s men have thus far seemed more stable than we saw from the likes of Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, but those mental weaknesses were firmly on show against Arne Slot’s depleted side. Struggling Amad started the avalanche with a sloppy pass in midfield. The normally ice-cool Senne Lammens caught the bug with a misguided pass to gift Liverpool their equaliser. This needs to be a temporary recurrence and not the return of a ruinous bad habit.

Back in the Champions League

Manchester United are back in the Champions League. The way we got there, on the back of a not entirely convincing win over Liverpool, was not pretty. But cast your minds back for a moment to the feeling around the club just a few months ago. Some fans had bought Ruben Amorim’s snake oil about this being the worst side in the club’s history and would not have dared to expect a top five finish. Now third place looks like a strong possibility. The suffering Amorim talked so much about has finally ended.

Big moment Mainoo shows his class

Talking about our former Portuguese torturer, what a week this has been for newly re-appreciated Kobbie Mainoo. Fresh from committing his long-term future to the Reds, the majestic Manc was the difference against Arne Slot’s side. With Casemiro pushing forward, Mainoo filled the void with a combination of style and steel. It was fitting that he should win the game with a well-placed finish. His resurgence makes Amorim’s weird aversion increasingly baffling with each passing display.

Nervy spells aside, this was an ultimately joyous afternoon at Old Trafford, and one that encapsulates everything about where this side currently stands: talented, occasionally fragile, but ultimately capable of rising to the occasion. With Champions League football secured and the likes of Bruno and Mainoo in this kind of form, Michael Carrick and co might finally have banished Amorim’s groaning ghost.

Featured image by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

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