Slot’s perfect start rolls on as Díaz double exposes dishevelled United

For much of the afternoon only a few yards separated Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag as they stood on the touchline. As for their respective teams? Well, they are miles apart.
This was a spectacular introduction to one of English football’s most frenzied rivalries for Slot, the Liverpool head coach, who enjoyed pretty much the perfect day out.
He witnessed a mature, controlled and, initially at least, clinical performance as a third successive win and clean sheet was posted — all of which contrasted wildly with a dishevelled Manchester United outfit bereft of so many qualities.
Already Slot appears to have had more of an impact than his fellow Dutchman Ten Hag, who is now in his third season in charge but sees his substitutions booed and his players still lacking in the personality to perform.
The two red balloons, one “7” and one “0”, that were held aloft in the away section were there to taunt United about that harrowing day at Anfield back in March last year, when they were brutally undressed. At times it felt like they were a prediction rather than a commemoration, so easily were the home side picked apart, if not by the outstanding Ryan Gravenberch then by Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah.
By the end, Slot, the first Liverpool supremo to win his opening game against United since Bob Paisley in 1975, heard his name joyously bellowed out by the travelling fans, who have quickly been seduced by his methods. His biggest issue right now will be keeping expectations in check.
The songs continued, with a brutal chorus of “Ten Hag’s at the wheel” merely exacerbating the United coach’s humiliation, which had earlier been compounded by the reaction to his decision to replace Alejandro Garnacho with Amad Diallo in the closing stages.
It should not have brought such an extreme response, but it reflects where Ten Hag stands after successive league defeats that fuel the suspicion that little has changed, or will change. He can point to two cup final wins on his watch, yet United continue to make a pudding of the bread and butter of the league.
That Ten Hag named two goalkeepers on the substitutes’ bench spoke to a lengthy list of absentees, with Leny Yoro, Rasmus Hojlund, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount among those injured. Manuel Ugarte was paraded in front of the home crowd but only before kick-off, as he was ineligible to feature after his late move from Paris Saint-Germain.
Still, there are a lot of weaknesses that they must override. Too many, perhaps. When Ugarte is up and running he should replace Casemiro, and that day cannot come quickly enough.
The Brazilian lasted only 45 minutes with Toby Collyer, the 20-year-old homegrown talent, handed his league debut when replacing the veteran at the interval. Unfortunately for United, Casemiro had already left an indelible mark on proceedings.
It was his wayward distribution that allowed Liverpool to seize the initiative as he picked out Gravenberch, rather than a team-mate, and suddenly it was five visiting players on three. Gravenberch, not for the first time, galloped forward and released Salah. His cross to the far post found Díaz and Dominik Szoboszlai unmarked, and the former took charge to head home.

Think back to the 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last season, when Liverpool’s title charge started to stutter and there was a five-on-two attack from which they did not score.
Indeed, across two league draws last term, they had managed 62 attempts on André Onana’s goal, yet scored only from a corner and a penalty.
Clarity in their approach was everything and the ruthlessness they showed before overindulging meant the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold had an effort disallowed after six minutes for Salah straying offside could be nothing more than a footnote.
The second arrived shortly before half-time. This time Díaz pickpocketed Casemiro and, while he lay grounded and moaning, Liverpool made hay. Alexis Mac Allister found Díaz, who then spread the play wide to Salah. A sublime pass, which left Lisandro Martínez looking like a statue, was met with a crisp finish from the Colombian, who has started the season in barnstorming fashion.
That it was United who were guilty of errors also highlighted the difference to Jürgen Klopp’s past two visits to this ground, when his players’ senses became scrambled.
Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee, twice, brought saves from Alisson, with the second from the striker a header from close range that he should have dispatched just after the hour mark.
However, by then, the gap had become a chasm.
The third goal came when Kobbie Mainoo lost the ball to Mac Allister, emphasising the aggression and intent of one team and not the other. Szoboszlai fed Salah and he tucked a shot into the corner.
It is now ten goals in his past seven appearances at Salah’s personal theatre of dreams, and 15 in 16 appearances overall. Life without him should be unthinkable and his deal expiring at the end of the campaign cannot be.
In that respect, Slot is fortunate in what he was bequeathed.
While there was not the same need for Anfield’s power brokers to attack the transfer market that there was for United’s — Federico Chiesa, the £10million signing from Juventus, was in the directors’ box, wearing the smile that has seldom been off his face since arriving on Merseyside on Thursday — they still to go down a different route.
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They have picked a coach who they believe can conjure improvement by virtue of the coaching clinics he, and his staff, deliver on the training pitch.
The early evidence supports that approach. Gravenberch was a tour de force in a dominant first-half display in midfield and his form has eased the disappointment of missing out on Real Sociedad’s metronomic Martín Zubimendi, notwithstanding sterner tests that lie ahead.
Perhaps Ten Hag can extract some satisfaction from that today. After all, he gave Gravenberch his debut at 16 at Ajax in 2018.
Then there is Díaz, Ibrahima Konaté and Szoboszlai, who also look like they can be beneficiaries of change.
That said, there was still plenty that irked Slot. The sight of long passes being played forward often resulted in a rueful shake of the head from him. He does not want forced passes that then become percentage balls, but rather the discipline to find a team-mate.
Still, it was only September 1. He cannot do everything at once.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): A Onana 6 — N Mazraoui 6, M De Ligt 5 (H Maguire 69, 6), L Martínez 5, D Dalot 5 — Casemiro 4 (T Collyer 45, 5), K Mainoo 5 — A Garnacho 5 (Amad 69, 5), B Fernades 5, M Rashford 5 — J Zirkzee 6 (C Eriksen 86). Booked Zirkzee, Martinez, Mainoo, De Ligt.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson 7 — T Alexander-Arnold 7 (C Bradley 76), I Konaté 7, V Van Dijk 7, A Robertson 7 (K Tsimikas 83) — R Gravenberch 8, A Mac Allister 8 — M Salah 9, D Szoboszlai 7, L Díaz 9 (C Gapko 66, 6) — D Jota 7 (D Nunez 76). Booked Van Dijk.
Referee A Taylor.