Three games winless streak, the team looking down and out and an inquest into what is going wrong. Few would be shocked that this was the outcome of events at Old Trafford on Monday evening. Not many would have picked that team to be Liverpool.
There was, however, unity behind an outstanding United performance that made a nonsense of the embarrassment of the home defeat by Brighton and 4-0 humiliation at Brentford in Ten Hag’s first two Premier League games.
He ordered his players to take their anger out on Liverpool and, from the first whistle, this was as good as Old Trafford has felt for some time as the manager got exactly what he wanted for his first victory.
United showed more passion and intent in the first 10 minutes here than they did in two league matches against Liverpool last season, which ended with a 9-0 aggregate in the Merseysiders’ favour.
And the biggest winner was Ten Hag, whose stock will rise with the manner in which he made the big, brave calls and also produced a tactical game-plan that worked to perfection.
Ten Hag had to do something after the Brentford debacle because what he witnessed there was unacceptable and unsustainable. He responded with a selection he knew would face scrutiny if it went wrong.
Jadon Sancho sent Manchester United on their way to a 2-0 win over Liverpool with a classy 16th-minute strike
He dropped Captain Harry Maguire and the talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, then saw United produce a performance of intensity, defensive solidity and bravery. It was the most satisfying vindication.
Maguire’s standing as captain must now be in doubt after he was left out of what is arguably United’s biggest game of the season. He can have no complaints as they looked much more secure without him.
The results were clear to see as Liverpool were run ragged at the back, with Virgil van Dijk’s poor early-season form exposed again, especially with a strangely passive attempt to stop Sancho scoring.
Ten Hag got it all spot on – and now United have shown what they can do without Maguire and Ronaldo, he should stick with it.
This is not great news for England center-back Maguire’s World Cup prospects and may hasten Ronaldo towards the exit, but neither of these issues are Ten Hag’s concern and nor should they be.
