11 crazy stats from Man Utd’s huge, long-awaited 2-1 win away at Liverpool
Manchester United have moved within two points of the champions Liverpool after registering their first win at Anfield in almost a decade.
Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring in the opening minutes.
Both teams then squandered chances in an absorbing contest, with Arne Slot’s attacking triple-substitution midway through the second half paying dividends as Cody Gakpo got the hosts back on level terms.
But as has been a recent issue for Slot’s Reds, they were made to pay for late lapses in concentration after getting back into the game, with Harry Maguire rising to head home in the second phase of a corner.
“It means everything,” Maguire told Sky Sports in his post-match interview.
“They had had the better of us over the last few years, and it’s not been good for our club. We have not given our fans enough days like today, so it has been a long time coming, coming to this ground and picking up three points.
“It is not just three points to the club and to the boys. I have been coming to this ground for seven years now, and to not get three points have been tough. It’s for the fans, and I hope they had a great night tonight.
“It is nice to have one over Liverpool. Football is all about memories and making special memories. I am sure all the fans will go home with memories, we will all go home happy.”
Former Red Devils captain Roy Keane wasn’t getting carried away, calling upon the players to use the win as a springboard and finally put a decent run together under Amorim.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but a huge win for this group of players,” Keane said.
“They stuck at it and it is a big moment for these players. They have to enjoy it. Back-to-back wins is fantastic, but they have to kick on.”
We’ve rounded up 11 stats from Manchester United’s big win:
— This was the first time that Amorim has won back-to-back Premier League games. This was his 35th game in charge.
— This was United’s first win away at Liverpool since 2016. Louis van Gaal was the manager then, with Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag all failing to win at Anfield since then.
— Liverpool’s last three Premier League games have all gone the same way: conceded first, equalised, and conceded again to lose 2-1.
— Jurgen Klopp never lost four consecutive games in charge of the Reds. The last time Liverpool suffered four losses in a row in all competitions was under Brendan Rodgers in November 2014.
— Bryan Mbeumo’s opener was the second fastest goal scored in this fixture in the Premier League era. Nicky Butt’s goal in the October 1995 meeting was the only goal scored in a quicker time.
— Cody Gakpo hit the post three times. Only once on record in Premier League history has a player hit the woodwork more (Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez against Chelsea in January 2024).
— Despite Liverpool’s recent poor form, Opta’s supercomputer made Liverpool massive favourites to win in their pre-match simulations, with Slot’s side winning in a massive 73.3% of the simulations and losing just 11.2%. A huge upset in those terms.
— Liverpool actually registered a considerably higher rate of expected goals with 2.74xG to United’s 1.26.
— Bruno Fernandes has assisted a Premier League goal at Anfield before Florian Wirtz.
— Man of the match Harry Maguire won five aerial duels and made eight clearances alongside his match-winning goal. That’s the most of any Manchester United player on both counts.
— This was the 100th time that these two historic clubs have faced off at Anfield. This was Manchester United’s 27th win there (46 losses, 37 draws).
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