Liverpool needed to make a statement against bitter rivals Manchester United on Thursday night at Old Trafford. With all the unrest heading into the match due to the protests of the Glazer Family’s horrendous ownership, the Reds needed to stay focused through all the potential danger and keep in mind that this match is vital to qualifying for the Champions League next season.
The Reds conceded first to Bruno Fernandes, but they scored three goals in response and eventually sealed the deal 4-2.
Here are the takeaways from Liverpool’s big win over the Red Devils.
Mohamed Salah shows his heart
One of the most bizarre narratives is that Mohamed Salah is selfish or does not care enough about Liverpool. It is honestly one of the most ridiculous, unfair things that is said, and it is often parroted by pundits who really don’t deserve the platforms they’ve been given to discuss football.
Watch the way Salah celebrated Liverpool’s fourth goal, and you’ll see how much this win meant to him. Salah gives his blood, sweat, and tears for this club, and he has carried the Reds through a tumultuous season. He knows how incredible it would be for the club to qualify for the Champions League amidst all the issues and doubts.
Salah is doing whatever he can to see Liverpool through this tough season, and he put together a very good performance at Old Trafford.
Trent Alexander-Arnold shows his quality
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best players in the Premier League, and he came into this fixture with both an important matchup against Luke Shaw (and Paul Pogba) and an opportunity to be the key player for Liverpool.
Heading into this match, Alexander-Arnold’s chance-creation and penchant for early crosses and through balls into dangerous central regions of the pitch were always going to be highlighted. The England international completed under 70 percent of his 51 pass attempts, according to WhoScored.com, yet he was arguably the best player on the pitch for a team that scored four goals.
How is that? Because pass completion percentage tells you very little. It does implicitly clue you into one thing, though. That Alexander-Arnold was attempting difficult, chance-creating passes. He was not passing it around for the sake of passing it around, which, as you know, is something Liverpool tend to want to avoid.
“TAA” led the way with five key passes and had an assist. He completed two of three through ball attempts and two of five crosses. Defensively, he was sharp, rising to the occasion against one of the Premier League’s top left backs in Shaw, as well as the classy Pogba.
Roberto Firmino makes a statement of his own
Coming into this match, the discourse around Roberto Firmino was not exactly positive. The No. 9 had not scored since Jan. 29 against Spurs, and while everyone knows the former Hoffenheim man offers so much more than goals to Liverpool, it was not out of line to criticize Firmino for not bringing the goods often enough in 2020-2021. As with Sadio Mane, it has been a very tough campaign for Firmino, too.
But he bagged his seventh and eight goals of this difficult season to give Liverpool a vital 3-1 lead. Firmino was very much the difference in the game’s scoreline, finding the back of the net in the 47th minutes of the first and second halves.
Another Man of the Match candidate along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Firmino reminded Premier League fans why he is one of the most important big-game players in European football. When Liverpool need somebody to step up, Firmino is almost always there to make things happen for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
And that’s the statement Firmino made. He reminded people that you can never write him off and that he’ll always put his best foot forward when Liverpool have their backs to the wall.
Beyond the goals, Firmino had two key passes and two fouls drawn.
Liverpool can pull this off
To bring it all home, the most important part of this win over Manchester United is that Liverpool are now in prime position to make the top four. They don’t fully control their own destiny since other fixtures can impact them, but with games in hand over Chelsea and now this win over second-place United, the Reds should have confidence despite being four points behind the fourth-place Blues.
Liverpool have the easier matchups to close the season. They will be facing West Brom, Burnley, and Crystal Palace, whereas Chelsea still have a fixture against Leicester City to worry about. The Reds know they must not underestimate anybody, but those three Premier League sides are ones they can beat. And after taking down United 4-2 at Old Trafford with all the pressure on them, they should have the confidence to go ahead and finish the job.
Jurgen Klopp will make sure his men have a one-track mind and make no excuses. To be honest, Klopp has made enough of them, and I think he realizes that getting back to the basics with his outlook and motivation are vital. He needs to be the leader, and he needs to lean on the leaders in his squad, such as Roberto Firmino, to pull this off.
But after this win, it really feels like Liverpool have the magic back. Yeah, it’s just one match, but the way the Reds fought out there, you get the feeling they have recaptured their essence and will spite those who turned against them this season.