Arne Slot has opened up on how Manchester United made it difficult for Liverpool as Ruben Amorim’s men scraped a 1-2 win.
Manchester United secured three points of the utmost importance against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday evening.
Amad assisted Bryan Mbeumo to get United off to a flying start as Ruben Amorim’s men took the lead just after just over a minute of play.
As the game went on, United began to sit back and defend more and more. Liverpool put United under immense pressure and eventually found a leveller through Cody Gakpo, who had caused United numerous problems on the left wing.
Just over five minutes later though, Harry Maguire restored United’s lead and United were able to see out the remainder of the game to secure their first win at Anfield in nearly 10 years.
Slot opens up on how United caused Liverpool issues
Arne Slot didn’t seem overly impressed with United’s pragmatic but efficient approach against his team on Sunday evening.
Before the game, Slot spoke pretty highly of Manchester United’s performances so far this season. “In my opinion, Man United has had a better start of the season than maybe the league table is showing,” the Liverpool manager said in his pre-match press conference.
Slot’s words after the game, however, came across as a frustrated man who was annoyed that Ruben Amorim didn’t fall into his trap.
“United came here with a low block and played long balls. It wasn’t easy,” Slot said as his team fell to their fourth consecutive defeat. “The few chances we conceded led to two goals.”
Amorim got the basics right
Manchester United were very compact off the ball last season at Anfield as they battled to a 2-2 draw.
Amorim used a 5-4-1 block in that game, and United looked defensively solid despite conceding twice. Amorim did the same on Sunday – it worked very well.
Read More: Player Ratings: Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United (Premier League)
The 5-2-3 has been very ineffective because of how much space it leaves open in midfield. By dropping the No. 10s back slightly, United are more compact and can cover the space more effectively to prevent central overloads.
On the ball, United went long almost every time Senne Lammens had it. At some point, United will have to start dominating possession in these games, but the truth is, they are very far away from being able to do that right now.
Amorim’s approach wasn’t pretty. It will not lead to any sustainable long-term success. However, it’s what he needed to do on the weekend to give United the best possible chance of getting three points.
For all the mistakes he has made so far as head coach of Manchester United, he got it spot on on Sunday.
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