FREED FROM DESIRE was one of the first songs on the Manchester United dressing room’s celebratory playlist at Anfield.
None of the United players have a chant to the Gala classic that was released in 1997. Appropriately, United won at Liverpool 3-1 twice that year.
Desire was etched on the faces of the United players throughout the evening at Anfield. Harry Maguire was the most vocal in the tunnel pre-match.
“This is a good day to win,” one of the United senior players understatedly said on the team coach en route to Anfield.
United used to stay over on Merseyside before games at Liverpool and Everton.
Sources say bad experiences at the Titanic Hotel convinced the team to abandon that preparation six years ago, so they prefer to travel to Anfield on the day of matches.
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Maguire was heartily applauded on his return to the dressing room, clutching the man of the match award.
He had been kicking himself over his missed chance to win it at Anfield last season, though half-joked the there was an offside in the build-up.
Recalling Maguire was one of the three key calls by United manager Ruben Amorim. Restoring Maguire and Matheus Cunha to the starting XI, and retaining Casemiro, all paid off.
Amorim gave serious consideration to benching Casemiro after two 90-minute outings for Brazil in South Korea and Japan. Due to his later return time, he had only two team training sessions before kick-off on Sunday.
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Liverpool-United almost always occupies the Super Sunday slot and that worked to United’s advantage as it afforded Casemiro, who turns 34 in February, more recovery time.
Manuel Ugarte had replaced Casemiro for United’s first fixture after the September internationals at Manchester City, yet his eagerness to press was exploited in that 3-0 trouncing.
Amorim admitted in March he was “learning how to use players like Casemiro”.
The midfielder is leaner than he was two years ago and, like all great players, is starting to respect what he can’t do as much as what he can do in the twilight of his career.
Casemiro’s relative immobility ensures he is more positionally disciplined than the over-eager Ugarte. Casemiro’s average position was just below the centre circle.
As soon as Casemiro showed signs of cracking, he was substituted.
Amorim immediately substituted him after a fifth yellow card in six starts.
Ugarte is trying to copy Casemiro and had the best part of an hour to watch and learn.
The Uruguayan knew he would be needed as Casemiro was always due to be substituted in the second half. Ugarte emerged in the 58th minute.
Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes did not train on Thursday and all started. They were officially given a day off but still reported at United’s Carrington training complex to do recovery work.
Man Utd ratings vs Liverpool
MANCHESTER UNITED secured a famous win away at Liverpool courtesy of a late Harry Maguire header.
The Red Devils had not won at Anfield since 2016, but Ruben Amorim’s bold tactical moves paid off.
Though they did have to rely on a bad day in front of goal for their hosts as both Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo missed sitters.
Whereas down the other end, Bryan Mbeumo scored after less than two minutes with a shot that Georgi Mamardashvili may feel he should have kept out.
Gakpo did get on the scoresheet with one of his many chances as he tapped in almost on the goal-line.
But Man Utd weathered a storm from the Reds and Bruno Fernandes’ brilliant assist allowed Harry Maguire to head home the winner.
Here’s how SunSport’s Samuel Luckhurst rated the Red Devils’ stars.
Cunha was a genuine surprise sprung by Amorim. The playmaker had started once in seven weeks and the Brazilian was so sloppy in the debacle at Brentford he was dropped the following week against Sunderland.
Yet Amorim was encouraged by the Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount triumvirate that was trialled in pre-season and then started the season against Arsenal.
Mount and Mbeumo were certainties to start at Anfield but Amorim had opted for some pre-match mind games Sir Alex Ferguson would have approved of.
By overemphasising United’s intention to play direct, the natural assumption was that Benjamin Sesko would continue up front after two goals in two games.
Sesko’s demotion surprised everyone, most of all, Liverpool manager Arne Slot. Slot wrongly predicted Mount would lead the line for United when it was always going to be Cunha.
That exposed Slot’s overconfidence and he had been rattled by United’s direct approach in the 2-2 draw in January.
Cunha is still without a goal for United and also travelled to Japan and Korea, where he played 113 minutes across both friendlies. That he completed 90 minutes at Anfield was remarkable.
The £62.5million signing had the benefit of little playing time in the intervening weeks as Cunha missed four games for club and country last month due to a hamstring strain.
Amorim’s decision to go without a focal point could not have worked out better. It led to Virgil van Dijk colliding into Alexis Mac Allister for an aerial duel seconds before Mbeumo scored in the second minute.
United players’ average positions showed that Fernandes, a central midfielder, was the most central player. Cunha actually occupied a deeper role than Mount, one of the two playmakers, down the left.
Maguire’s return was as much of a risk as Cunha. Dropping the speedy Leny Yoro against the pacy pair of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo – the forwards he was due to be in the closest proximity to – could have easily backfired.
United rode their luck as Gakpo struck the woodwork three times before he scored.
But Maguire was fresher than Yoro, who had been on international duty with France Under 21s. And, as Amorim stated pre-match, is more experienced.
Yoro, a 19-year-old, does not have the same goal-getting nous as Maguire, becoming famed for memorable late goals.
Maguire has not played for England in over a year. For Luke Shaw, his last cap was in the European Championship final 15 months ago.
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United managed Maguire delicately in the summer and this is the fittest Shaw has been in more than two years.
They are not lacking in desire.
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