KA RUBEN MADE BIG GAMBLES AGAINST LIVERPOOL BUT THEY PAID OFF!
1. Started Harry Maguire since the Brentford drubbing and the English man notched the headed winner and was man of the match.
2. Played Casemiro despite being fully involved with Brazil against South Korea and Japan. When the brilliant Brazilian sitting in front of the back four received a yellow card, Ruben Amorim swiftly substituted the 33-year-old fearing a red.
3. Starting Matheus Cunha who had only one start in recent weeks and coming off an injury ahead of Benjamin Sesko who had scored in back to back Premier League matches seemed controversial at first for a boss who had never won back to back Premier League matches since his appointment in November, 2024.
It paid off as United had a fluid front three in Cunha, Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo.
The Red Devils kept the ball on the deck rather than hoof it upfront to the big boy had Sesko started. Those man mountains in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were going to have a field day in dealing with aerial ball against Sesko.
The tactical tweak left Liverpool’s stuttering rear guard startled as it was moved out of position of comfort to deal with the swift shifts in the United attack so much so that the home side could have been down 2-0 in the opening 20 minutes.
In the denouement, it is remarkable that the much maligned Maguire, who Amorin trusted to start, got the winner-the first by the away side since Wayne Rooney notched the winner in 2016 at Anfield.
And Amorim got his first back to back Premier League matches in a remarkable 35 matches.
It was done to the Portuguese astute management of this match right from his first eleven selection.
Certainly, the three points against the defending champions has eased pressure on Amorim.
In consigning Liverpool to a fourth straight defeat for the first time in 12 years, Amorim deserves a pat on the back.
NO TAKATAKA