Three perfect Ruben Amorim decisions that helped Man United record memorable Anfield win

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21 Oct 2025 12:12

Manchester United defeated arch-rivals Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to reduce the gap to the Premier League top four.

More than 24 hours on, the United faithful are still buzzing after ending a painful nine-year wait for victory at the home of their fiercest rivals.

Bryan Mbeumo continued his electric start to life in Manchester, firing home inside 62 seconds to silence the Kop.

Cody Gakpo eventually drew Liverpool level, striking the crossbar three times before finding the net.

Harry Maguire found the bottom-left corner with a thumping header after a sublime volleyed cross from captain Bruno Fernandes.

Here we break down the three tactical masterstrokes from Ruben Amorim that laid the foundation for this historic triumph.

Surprising Arne Slot with United Starting XI

Few could believe their eyes when Benjamin Sesko and Leny Yoro were dropped to the bench as the official teamsheet landed.

Sesko brimming with confidence after goals against Brentford and Sunderland, looked certain to start.

The pre-match comments from Liverpool manager Arne Slot suggested that he was ready with plans to nullify the threat of the towering centre-forward.

Amorim threw a curveball by replacing Sesko with Matheus Cunha in the XI.

Yoro has been in fine form this season but the Portuguese chose to back Maguire’s experience for the big-pressure clash.

Amorim has often faced criticism for his poor substitutions this season, but the 40-year-old did not make those errors at Anfield.

Casemiro picked up a booking before the hour mark for a tactical foul on Mohamed Salah.

The Brazilian is an exceptional midfielder but tends to make rash challenges.

Amorim chose a caution-free approach and immediately replaced him with Manuel Ugarte.

He followed the same approach with Amad Diallo, who was wrongly booked by referee Michael Oliver.

Diallo was one of the most threatening United players, but Amorim was determined not to take a risk with his side being 1–0 up.

Fernandes played crucial roles in both goals and performed very well in the first half.

However, he looked exhausted later in the second half and consistently gave possession away.

The head coach took him off for Kobbie Mainoo shortly after Maguire’s strike.

Slot anticipated United would go long, and they did, but not in the way he expected.

The Dutchman had prepared his defence for Sesko’s aerial duels, only to find Cunha leading the line in a more fluid, unpredictable role.

The Red Devils still played direct, asking goalkeeper Senne Lammens to boot the ball long every time.

Rather than competing with the towering defensive duo of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, United focused on winning second balls.

Amorim knew Alexander Isak and Salah would not track back, helping his side make the most of quick transitions.

Cunha’s movement dragged defenders out of position, freeing Bryan Mbeumo to drift inside while Amad Diallo attacked the space on the right.

This created relentless 3v2 overloads, leaving Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez constantly exposed whenever United played in behind.

It was great to see Amorim visualising Slot’s gameplan for Sesko and choosing to throw an early punch that never allowed the Dutchman to recover.

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .