Man United Beaten 3-0 by Liverpool: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned
Well the thunder and lightning were off the pitch truth be told, but when you play that lot you’ll never complain about a score line like this. Liverpool ended their US pre-season tour with a perfect record as United were beaten in Columbia 3-0.
Despite the score line it wasn’t our best performance and the names on the scoresheet might surprise some people, but it matters not as Arne Slot’s side are heading back home if not there by the time you read this. We look at the science, the goals and the lessons learned from this one.
Unusual Names, Common People
There was a real variety to those that ended up on the scoresheet, those that provided the assists and how the goals were scored. Perhaps not as impressive as the arsenal one, but Carvalho’s left-foot finish having cut back inside from Jota’s pass was decent, despite a few looking at Onana. Salah did Salah things as he burst past his man and ice out Jones rushing in to make it two.
No-one expected Tsimikas to be on the scoresheet and some will even be surprised he’s still here, but he was alive to the rebound from Jota’s shot to make it three. The third was probably the most rowing move and whilst you wouldn’t have picked the scorers without knowing, there were some common names involved.
The Sweet Science of Sense
Not that it was guesswork before, but everything currently feels measured with no exceptions. Szoboszlai was excluded as Slot cited fatigue from all the sessions and after last campaign, it’s great to hear no chances were being taken.
Both Grav and Ibou were in the starting line-up having only been back as hairy while and it was good to see them get 65 and 45 minutes respectively. Seven changes again and this in the 65th minute seemed smart with only Bradley playing only longer, even if it was eight minutes more. We know Doak and Nyoni amongst others have been rested for sessions and you feel the approach will benefit everyone in the long run.
Cram It In
Let’s try and summarise as any small points as we can for you. The score line didn’t tell the full story as both Kelleher and Jaros made a few good saves, especially the former early on from Mount as Slot was clearly agitated by how open we were. He even commented about the lack of control afterwards.
If there were any doubt where Endo sits in the pecking order, Jones appears to be the six at the moment and Grav was straight back in here. The Japanese midfielder came on with the youngsters and Nat Phillips in the 65th minute. We shouldn’t complain in anyway, but we probably played better against Arsenal, but this United side were woeful despite it being pre-season. Let’s hope they’re like this third game of the actual season.
