Luis Diaz scored twice and Mohamed Salah added another as Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, leaving Erik ten Hag's team feeling the sting of their arch-rivals. Liverpool controlled the game from the start, with United unable to match their intensity in the first half. Diaz opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a header from a back-post position after Casemiro's error in midfield. Casemiro was again the culprit for Liverpool's second goal, which Diaz netted just before halftime, assisted by Salah. United's fans had little to cheer about as they headed to the break early.
Liverpool continued to press after the interval, with Salah scoring the third goal 11 minutes into the second half. Despite the comfortable lead, Liverpool maintained their perfect record this season under new coach Arne Slot. "The goals we conceded were self-inflicted," lamented United captain Bruno Fernandes. "We need to avoid mistakes that lead to goals. Blaming individuals won't help us now." Fernandes emphasized the need for collective responsibility and forward thinking, acknowledging Liverpool's clinical performance.
United's recent struggles were highlighted by their narrow loss to Brighton last week, despite a promising summer in the transfer market. The arrival of Liverpool, who had only lost one of their last 12 league meetings against United, was a significant pre-match worry. An early goal by Trent Alexander-Arnold was disallowed by VAR, sparing United's blushes temporarily. United managed to settle into the game without posing much threat to Liverpool, who capitalized on Casemiro's errant pass to Diaz for the opener.
Diaz's goal was his third of the season and another one Casemiro would like to erase from memory. Liverpool's forward has now scored more Premier League goals against United than against any other team. Another midfield error, this time by Kobbie Mainoo, led to Salah's goal, extending his record as the highest-scoring opposition player at Old Trafford in the Premier League with seven goals. Liverpool's victory marked a historic first for Slot, making him the first Liverpool manager to win his initial encounter with United since Bob Paisley in 1975.
"As a manager, you want to see your team perform like they did today," Slot reflected. "We faced some tough moments, especially with an early disallowed goal, but there was no negative reaction. We kept playing and scored three, potentially could have scored more. Our goalkeeper made two crucial saves, and the team's work rate without the ball was outstanding, making it a very positive day."
