Erik ten Hag: How Man Utd boss masterminded Liverpool win
Facing off against a Liverpool side that hadn't lost a Premier League game this calendar year, Manchester United produced a tremendous performance to deservedly defeat the Reds 2-1 and end their rivals' streak.
Having started the season dreadfully with losses against Brighton and Brentford, the Red Devils finally gave their fans something to cheer about by putting in a display littered with upside at Old Trafford.
Starting off the match with plenty of intensity and aggression against Jurgen Klopp's men, who were also winless heading into the clash, United's early high pressing saw them immediately put their foes on the back foot while setting the tone for what was to follow.
Devising a smart 4-2-4/4-4-2 pressing scheme to stifle Liverpool's build-up and usher them away from central areas towards the flanks, where they could lock on and use the touchline as an extra defender, Erik ten Hag's plan was carried out nicely by his players.
To start with, one of the forwards would press the centre-back that was about to inherit possession while the other would monitor the holding midfielder in Jordan Henderson.
Wanting to force Liverpool wide, the ball side winger would then push out to the nearby full-back, as the United central midfielders, Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen would typically keep tabs on James Milner, Harvey Elliott or the dropping Roberto Firmino.
The role of the ball far winger for the Red Devils deserves mention. They'd shift infield to help deal with Liverpool's nearby eight (Elliott or Milner) allowing them to not only remain compact but also so Firmino couldn't easily form overloads in midfield due to United typically enjoying numerical parity.
How United responded to triggers like sideways or backwards passes and angled their pressing by using their cover shadows to block passing lanes was key as well, with this successfully minimising options for the Reds to use.
The way the United defenders would get touch tight and applied relentless pressure when the Liverpool attackers dropped deep with their back to goal was another feature of Man Utd's front-footed approach.
Wanting to give the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz in particular minimal time or space to turn or execute their actions cleanly, this worked wonders in stifling their impact on proceedings and condensing the pitch when parlayed with United's high press.
Creating some fantastic chances and regaining the ball in quality areas to instantly hit Liverpool in transition, there was no doubting what a weapon their pressing was.
Up against two of the elite wingers in the league, United's full-backs in Tyrell Malacia and Diogo Dalot deserve tremendous credit for nullifying Salah and Diaz respectively, hardly giving them an inch. They were usually positioned ideally, handled them in 1v1s and fulfilled their marking assignments with aplomb when the Liverpool forwards ran in behind or checked deep.
Indeed, the fact Salah and Diaz lost the ball a combined 21 times, made a total of 66 unsuccessful actions, were restricted to five shots, four dribbles and won just 10 of their 30 ground duels highlights the terrific efforts by Dalot and Malacia.
Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Ten Hag clearly came with a plan to exploit the right-hand side of the Liverpool defence and regularly bypass the Reds' high press by instructing David de Gea to go long.
Knowing that Trent Alexander-Arnold can sometimes struggle defensively, United targeted him fiercely on a night where Anthony Elanga and later Marcus Rashford caused him plenty of grief.
Funnelling 44% of their attacks down their left, the Red Devils expertly attacked the space behind Alexander-Arnold and between him and Joe Gomez, who looked far more suspect than Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson on the other side.
Whether making headway on the counter when surging into the space left behind Alexander-Arnold when he pushed on, or in slower more methodical build-up or from goal kicks or open play United expertly wreaked havoc in this zone of the field.
Seeing as both United goals and many of their most threatening moves originated from the aforementioned strategy, Ten Hag would've been delighted with how shrewdly his tactics worked out. The examples below aptly depict this. .
By the numbers, even though Liverpool held the ascendancy in terms of total shots (17 to 12) and possession (71% to 29%), the fact United topped their rivals for expected goals (1.76 to 1.65) underlined their menace going forward.
Managing the game and the dangerous spaces superbly, it was admirable how United controlled their adversaries and made life difficult for Liverpool to break them down even if Salah grabbed an opportunistic goal 10 minutes from time.
"We can talk about technical but it’s all about attitude. Now you see we bring the attitude. There was communication, there was a fighting spirit and especially there was a team, and you can see what they can achieve. Because they can f****** play good football," a delighted Ten Hag gleamed after the triumph.
"I wanted a different approach to the Brentford game. This is why I am satisfied. We can play much better if we have more composure to make an extra pass. We have good players, but now we can be a team.”
“Of course we are happy, I know the rivalry against Liverpool, don’t just bring it against Liverpool, bring this organisation and intensity in every game. Tactically, you see where you can have weapons in the game."
Having clearly got his team fired up and prepared for this crunch battle, the challenge for Ten Hag will now be building on this magnificent result at the Theatre of Dreams, with him hoping this will be the catalyst to inject some life into their season.
Full of confidence and knowing they can achieve great things when on top of their game, United will quickly turn their attention to Southampton, who they play on Saturday, where they'll be looking to replicate this stirring showing and prove why they're a team to be feared under Ten Hag's tutelage.
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