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‘We can win any game’ - Amorim confident ahead of Liverpool clash

Manchester United handed under-fire boss Ruben Amorim one of the finest results of his tenure as they fought to a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League’s late Sunday kick-off.

United got off to a dream start as Amad slid in Bryan Mbeumo to open the scoring within two minutes at Anfield, and though a shocked Liverpool began to dominate possession the visitors continued to threaten on the counter.

Cody Gakpo was at the centre of the Reds’ attacking effort as he hit the post twice in the first half, though United went into the break in the lead with Bruno Fernandes also hitting the woodwork.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with Gakpo hitting the post again early on, before a raft of attacking changes from Arne Slot put Liverpool further onto the front foot.

And the subs soon paid off as Gakpo finally equalised from Federico Chiesa’s cross, but just when it looked like the hosts would press on for a winner, it was Harry Maguire who popped up with a header at the back post to win it for United late on.

Contrasting fortunes for Liverpool and Man Utd might become sliding doors moment of Ruben Amorim’s reign

Ruben Amorim will always have Anfield. A reign that has brought many a historic low finally has the right kind of landmark result. As Manchester United belatedly recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time under the Portuguese, they triumphed on Liverpool’s home turf for the first time in almost a decade. Louis van Gaal, the previous United manager to take three points here, was sacked four months later, so this is no guarantee that Amorim will get three years, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants, but both the result and the manner of it felt genuinely auspicious.

And so it was Arne Slot who was left to contemplate a slump of unexpectedly seismic proportions and who was swathed in unflattering statistics. This is the first Liverpool side since 2014 to lose four matches in a row which is not a good look for a team who underwent a £450m makeover. They were beaten at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time in 13 months. Late goals have been a story of Liverpool’s season, but now they rue them. They have started to concede early on, too. They did both: behind after 62 seconds to Bryan Mbeumo, they were beaten by Harry Maguire’s 84th-minute decider.

Man Utd’s victory at Anfield might be the turning point of Ruben Amorim’s reign

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United: Harry Maguire nodded in the winning goal as Liverpool slumped to a fourth straight defeat in all competitions

Chris Wilson20 October 2025 07:00

Roy Keane questions Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool losing streak goes on

Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane has urged Virgil van Dijk to look at “the man in the mirror” as he questioned the Dutchman’s role in Liverpool’s recent poor run of form after the champions slipped to a 2-1 loss to Manchester United.

Van Dijk was partly at fault for conceding the opener within the first couple of minutes at Anfield, and though the hosts rallied and put plenty of pressure on United, the visitors eventually came away with a first away win there since 2016.

The Liverpool captain pointed out that his side “were far too rushed” and “conceded a very sloppy second goal”, adding that “there was plenty of football left to be played [and score] and we didn't”.

Roy Keane questions Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool losing streak goes on

Van Dijk was at fault for the opening goal as Manchester United won at Anfield for the first time since 2016

Chris Wilson20 October 2025 06:00

How Ange Postecoglou surpassed Liz Truss in 39-day Nottingham Forest disaster

Some more of the biggest football news this weekend...

The term hubris emerged in Greece and there was some distinctly hubristic about it, even if it was less Greek tragedy than a farce that stemmed from a pair of men born in Greece and briefly paired in Nottingham.

Perhaps Ange Postecoglou’s heritage was a factor in his appointment at Nottingham Forest. Many another realised immediately it was a stylistic mismatch between manager and squad. Evangelos Marinakis, whose choice of Nuno Espirito Santo as Forest’s previous manager met with a distinctly mixed reception but proved inspired, parachuted in a compatriot of sorts after one of the strangest sackings and then, 39 days later, delivered one that was both among the most predictable and brutal.

Postecoglou lasted a mere 39 days at Forest. It was the shortest ever reign of any supposedly permanent manager in the Premier League; some caretakers have lasted longer. His tenure was shorter than Forest’s iconic manager Brian Clough’s infamously brief spell at Leeds in 1974; shorter, indeed, than the time Liz Truss spent as Prime Minister, when she was outlasted by a lettuce. Next summer’s World Cup will be longer than the Postecoglou era, if such a word can be deployed. Clough’s 6,700-day spell at Forest was more than 171 times longer than the Postecoglou age, if such a term can be used.

How Ange Postecoglou surpassed Liz Truss in 39-day Nottingham Forest disaster

His appointment was a hubristic failure on the part of owner Evangelos Marinakis – but Postecoglou must now count the cost of the shortest managerial reign in Premier League history

Chris Wilson20 October 2025 04:00

Erling Haaland is inevitable — but Manchester City’s over-reliance on striker is unhealthy

There report from the City result this weekend too...

For Manchester City’s second highest scorer this season, Saturday brought a 2-0 win to enjoy. Not a City victory, admittedly, because he can scarcely savour a status as Erling Haaland’s closest challenger. But, more than two months into the campaign, only the Norwegian has scored more goals for City than Maxime Esteve. Who, rather than participating in City’s defeat of Everton, helped Burnley keep a clean sheet as they beat Leeds.

In all competitions, Phil Foden has also struck twice for City. In the Premier League, no one has. Esteve’s two own goals came in Burnley’s 5-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium. Since the French defender’s inadvertent second, City have found the net seven times. The scorers? Haaland, Haaland, Haaland, Haaland, Haaland, Haaland and Haaland.

No wonder, then, that Pep Guardiola diagnosed an acute case of Haaland-dependencia. “As a team we have to understand we can't rely completely on him,” he said. “He's always there, but we need the other guys, the wingers and attacking midfielders. They need to score goals, otherwise we will not achieve what we're trying to do.”

Erling Haaland is inevitable — but Manchester City’s reliance on striker is unhealthy

While their star striker keeps scoring, no other Manchester City player has registered more than once in the Premier League this season

Chris Wilson20 October 2025 02:00

How the table looks

The result leaves Arsenal three points clear in the Premier League, with the Gunners now on 19 points with Man City second.Bournemouth are now third with 15 points, with Liverpool fourth with the same tally.

Here’s how the top of the table looks in full:

Chris Wilson19 October 2025 22:40

Who should Liverpool build the team around?

"Liverpool have got two away games – in the Champions League at Frankfurt and then they go to Brentford. I don’t think Salah should start both of those games,” says Carragher.

"He should always start at Anfield because Liverpool will be on top, around the edge of the box and more often than not he scores in those situations today. But I do think in the away games and helping your full-back, I don’t think Salah should be starting every game right now, certainly away from home, with the form he’s in.”

Asked whether Salah would be okay not starting, Carragher adds: “Probably not. But when you get to a certain age you have to understand that, especially when you’re not playing well where’s your argument.

“It’s different if you’re banging in the goals and your manager makes a tactical decision and you’re frustrated. I don’t think Mo Salah’s in any position to complain if he was left out of one of the next two away games,” he added.

Who should Liverpool build the team around?

Jamie Carragher claims that Liverpool will have to build the side around Isak and Wirtz “because they’ve spent the money on them, and their age profile compared to Salah”.

"I do think watching Mo Salah this season – I love him but...

"There’s a tactical set-up with Salah that he doesn’t help Liverpool’s right back. I’m not criticising him for being lazy and not getting back. We lauded Arne Slot for allowing Salah that role last season. He probably hasn’t got the legs to get up and down like a conventional wide player. But if you’re not getting anything going the other way…

"Watching Salah today, he never got found out defensively because he doesn’t track back but he was off it with the ball. He lost the ball a lot through the game. That can happen with him, even in his prime.

"But what I’d say with Salah is right now I think we’re at the stage where I don’t think Salah should be like a Virgil van Dijk where it’s like ‘first name on the teamsheet,’” he added.