Player Ratings: Kobbie Mainoo scores winner as Man United beat Liverpool

Yet this fixture has never been a place for assumptions.

Photo: IMAGO

Liverpool Response Exposes United Flaws

Liverpool emerged after the interval with urgency and were level within 11 minutes. Dominik Szoboszlai scored in the 47th minute after capitalising on a loose United pass, driving forward with alarming ease before punishing the hosts. Cody Gakpo then made it 2-2 in the 56th minute, assisted by Szoboszlai, as Liverpool exploited uncertainty in United’s defensive shape.

That spell mattered. Not merely because Liverpool fought back, but because it showed where United remain vulnerable. Their first-half authority gave way to nervous decision-making, poor spacing and rushed clearances. Senne Lammens, previously reliable, endured a difficult afternoon, while United’s back line suddenly looked far less secure.

For Liverpool, Szoboszlai was the outstanding performer. His goal, assist and constant willingness to carry possession gave Arne Slot’s side a route back into the contest. Still, defensive errors and a lack of control at both ends left them exposed.

Mainoo Moment Defines United Victory

Then came Mainoo. Three days after signing a new five-year contract, the academy midfielder produced the finish that may come to define this Manchester United season.

Liverpool failed to clear Luke Shaw’s cross, the ball dropped invitingly on the edge of the area and Mainoo crashed a first-time strike into the bottom corner. It was clean, composed and symbolic. In a season when he had struggled for starts under former boss Ruben Amorim, Mainoo answered with the sort of moment that changes narratives.

There was also concern before kick-off and during the day around Sir Alex Ferguson, who was taken from the ground in an ambulance as a precaution after feeling unwell. Against that emotional backdrop, United’s victory carried added weight.

Carrick has now beaten Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, a clean sweep of England’s leading powers. That does not solve every problem, but it gives United evidence, belief and a Champions League platform.

Player Ratings

Manchester United: Senne Lammens 4, Diogo Dalot 5, Harry Maguire 5, Ayden Heaven 6, Luke Shaw 6, Casemiro 6, Kobbie Mainoo 7, Bruno Fernandes 7, Matheus Cunha 8, Bryan Mbeumo 7, Benjamin Sesko 7.

Liverpool: Freddie Woodman 4, Curtis Jones 6, Ibrahima Konate 5, Virgil van Dijk 5, Andy Robertson 4, Ryan Gravenberch 5, Alexis Mac Allister 4, Dominik Szoboszlai 8, Florian Wirtz 6, Jeremie Frimpong 5, Cody Gakpo 6.