Ruben Amorim during Man United’s win over Liverpool (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Winning at Anfield is great for any manager, but especially if you’re the manager of Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson once said he judges players by how well they perform in big games, such as United’s away game against arch-rivals Liverpool, but what does Sunday’s result mean for Ruben Amorim’s future as manager?
Don’t get me wrong, the Portuguese tactician needed such a statement result, not to mention the fact that this is actually the first time he has won back-to-back league games since taking over as manager last year.
United haven’t had the best start to the season and there will still be concerns after Grimsby’s shock defeat in the Carabao Cup and that really poor performance in the 3-1 defeat away to Brentford.
But Mr Amorim may now feel more secure in his position. The question is whether he should or whether this win against a struggling Liverpool team was just a bit of a false dawn.
Manchester United rode their luck to beat Liverpool 2-1
Of course, football is all about results, so after Sunday’s game all that really mattered was that United took all three points and moved on from Merseyside.
Still, there’s no getting away from the fact that these games often end in close contests, and if any of Kodi Gakpo’s “3” shots had hit the post, it would have been a very different game.
Arne Slott said after the game that he couldn’t believe his team missed such a crucial chance. Indeed, it feels like Alexander Isak, who is perfectly fit and in good form, would have buried that big chance in the first half.
In total, LFC had an impressive 63% of possession and had a total of 17 shots, six of which were on target. If United allow such an advantage to their opponents too often, it would be unwise to bet on them winning many games.
However, soccer is unpredictable, so if you’re feeling brave you can always try your luck by checking out what odds are available on FIRST.com’s wide range of soccer sites.
Does Amorim’s system really work?
Amorim, on the other hand, certainly did a great job with 10 shots, including three on target, in situations where United hardly had the ball.
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And some MUFC fans might argue that despite Liverpool’s dominance, not all of their chances were that great.
Matthijs de Ligt has had his best game in a United shirt and Amad Diallo has really shined in that right wing-back role, so perhaps Amorim is finally winning over these players with his style of play.
We’ll probably need to see a few more wins in the coming weeks and months to be completely sure of that, but the signs after this big win are looking a little more promising.
