Defensive calamities, wrong subs and indiscipline - where it went wrong for Man Utd vs Liverpool
Going in at half-time 1-0 down was perhaps a harsh scoreline for Manchester United, with the half providing big chances for the team particularly in the air, with Bruno Fernandes guiding a diving header just wide, shortly before Casemiro’s headed effort would be ruled out for offside.
However, there was nothing harsh in what followed, as United’s total capitulation led to a record-breaking defeat with their Merseyside rivals taking no mercy in putting seven past the disjointed defence.
What exactly happened in the second half, where does the blame lie and what has to change if Erik ten Hag is to avoid this kind of defeat in the future?
Read more: United players report for early meeting with Ten Hag
Lisandro Martinez has been one of the signings of the season but in the fixture he was supposed to shine the most, he stood out for the wrong reasons. The Argentine was completely dismantled by Mohammad Salah for Liverpool’s third goal, with the Egyptian turning him one way then the other before putting the World Cup winner on the floor as he found the perfect pass for goal scorer Cody Gakpo.
Martinez’s defensive partner Raphael Varane was also way off his usual standards, with the centre-back pairing only managing to win only two aerial duals between them before Martinez was substituted in the 76th minute. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool finally looked like the Champions League and Premier League-winning sides of the past, but Ten Hag has to be furious with how easy it was for the home side to carve United’s defence open at will regardless of the form of Liverpool.
Each and every goal could have been avoided if not for consistent mistakes from the United defence, whether it was the ball catapulting off Scott McTominay to find
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