Cliff Notes – Fernandes delighted at Anfield win as Liverpool suffer shock 4th defeat
- Bruno Fernandes attributed Manchester United’s victory at Anfield to the anxiety of Liverpool fans, which he believed pressured the home side during the first half.
- Harry Maguire’s late header secured a 2-1 win, marking United’s first triumph at Anfield since January 2016 and contributing to Liverpool’s fourth consecutive defeat.
Fernandes says frustrated Anfield helped Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes said Manchester United’s first win at Anfield since January of 2016 was helped by Liverpool fans showing frustration with their own team in the first half due to their failure to put Ruben Amorim’s side under pressure.
Harry Maguire’s 84th-minute header sealed a 2-1 win for United after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s second-minute opener for the visitors. United’s win enabled Amorim to record back-to-back league victories for the first time since he arrived from Sporting CP last November and also consigned Liverpool to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions.
Liverpool in murky water
Liverpool last lost five successive games in September of 1953, so Arne Slot’s side will travel to Eintracht Frankfurt for Wednesday’s Champions League clash aiming to avoid a defeat that would equal their worst run for 72 years.
And United captain Fernandes said that the anxiety of the home fans contributed to his team’s win against Liverpool.
“In the first 10 minutes we knew they [Liverpool] would try to start the game very strong,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “Also in the first half, we understood that they were under pressure when they had time on the ball, the fans were putting them in a difficult position and booing for them to play quicker.
“We wanted to slow their game and we knew that would give massive spaces around the middle. In the second half we could have played a little bit more on the ball.
“We know what it means for the fans and the club to play these rivalries. We wanted to do it because it is a long time since the club won at Anfield.
“It is very important, so I am very happy to do it today.”
United last won back-to-back league games in the same season at the end of the 2023-24 campaign and Maguire said after the game: “It’s embarrassing really.
“It’s not a stat that we should even be speaking about, because it is an embarrassing stat to have.
Arne Slot and Liverpool lost their fourth game in a row after conceding a late goal to Manchester United. Getty Images
“Now that’s out of the way, let’s try and make it three on Saturday against Brighton, because we have to start putting a bit more consistency together.
“The last three or four years we’d put in a performance like this and the following game we come down again.
“We have set a benchmark. There are a lot of areas we can do more, we were hanging on there and defending for the last 30 minutes or so.
“We’ll analyse it. The manager strives for perfection, so I’m sure he will want us to play better than we did in the second half. Great fight, big spirit, big win, but we have to go again.”
United’s win takes them to within two points of fourth-placed Liverpool and raises the prospects of Amorim’s team challenging for Champions League qualification this season. But when asked whether United are now Champions League contenders, Amorim said it is too soon to put his side in that bracket.
“I want you guys to continue with the narrative that you are so I will not increase the goal,” Amorim told reporters. “What we need to do is try to win three games in a row and then forget about top four or top six.
“We already said we want to go to Europe. This doesn’t change nothing, we are the same team we were 90 minutes ago.
“I have no idea if we show the spirit we show every day, but I think we are going to win so many games. For that, we need to show action.
“But of course it is really important to win. I don’t have many wins in Manchester. It is really important back-to-back and every detail of this game, the spirit when we suffer a bad moment or control, all the small things, was perfect. Let’s try to do that next week.
“It is really important for our fans. They struggled against Grimsby and Brentford, but today they saw a different team.”