Manchester United just about scraped to a 3-2 home victory over Liverpool — and with it, Champions League qualification — in a topsy-turvy game at Old Trafford. Despite coasting to a 2-0 half-time lead, Michael Carrick’s side imploded in the second half to gift the visitors a way back into the game. Step forward Kobbie Mainoo, whose late controlled drive sent the stadium into meltdown and grabbed all three points. From Bruno’s brilliance to Mainoo’s majesty — here’s what we learned.
Brilliant Bruno doesn’t need the record
The universe (social media) has decided that Bruno Fernandes getting player of the year is conditional on him notching the all-time Premier League assist record. But why? Is it not enough that he’s been absolutely instrumental in the upswing of the division’s form team this calendar year? Yet again, Bruno was at the centre of everything for Manchester United, so it seems bizarrely arbitrary to set record-breaking targets when he’s already clearly playing the best football of his excellent United career. The Portuguese has been the most productive attacker in the top flight since October, and has smoothed out some of his rough edges to become the the Premier League’s star man. And everyone knows it.
Let’s go Sesko
How much of that second half drop-off was down to losing Benjamin Sesko? The giant Slovenian had been a constant menace during their dominant first half, scoring one and troubling Liverpool’s centre-backs whenever the ball came into his orbit. When he went off, the home side seemed to miss his physical dominance and aerial threat. It probably does not help that his replacement, Amad, had another minor nightmare for at least the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Mentality issues remain
From coasting at half-time to falling apart within 15 minutes, Manchester United’s opening to the second half brought back all the old ghosts from campaigns of the miserable recent past. Carrick’s men have thus far seemed more stable than we saw from the likes of Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, but those mental weaknesses were firmly on show against Arne Slot’s depleted side. Struggling Amad started the avalanche with a sloppy pass in midfield. The normally ice-cool Senne Lammens caught the bug with a misguided pass to gift Liverpool their equaliser. This needs to be a temporary recurrence and not the return of a ruinous bad habit.
Back in the Champions League
Manchester United are back in the Champions League. The way we got there, on the back of a not entirely convincing win over Liverpool, was not pretty. But cast your minds back for a moment to the feeling around the club just a few months ago. Some fans had bought Ruben Amorim’s snake oil about this being the worst side in the club’s history and would not have dared to expect a top five finish. Now third place looks like a strong possibility. The suffering Amorim talked so much about has finally ended.
Big moment Mainoo shows his class
Talking about our former Portuguese torturer, what a week this has been for newly re-appreciated Kobbie Mainoo. Fresh from committing his long-term future to the Reds, the majestic Manc was the difference against Arne Slot’s side. With Casemiro pushing forward, Mainoo filled the void with a combination of style and steel. It was fitting that he should win the game with a well-placed finish. His resurgence makes Amorim’s weird aversion increasingly baffling with each passing display.
Nervy spells aside, this was an ultimately joyous afternoon at Old Trafford, and one that encapsulates everything about where this side currently stands: talented, occasionally fragile, but ultimately capable of rising to the occasion. With Champions League football secured and the likes of Bruno and Mainoo in this kind of form, Michael Carrick and co might finally have banished Amorim’s groaning ghost.
Featured image by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
