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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim hailed the 2-1 victory—the club’s first at Anfield since 2016—as a fitting reward for long-suffering supporters after Harry Maguire’s late goal simultaneously handed Liverpool their fourth consecutive defeat.
The result marked United’s first back-to-back Premier League wins under Amorim, who took charge nearly a year ago.
However, the Portuguese manager insisted that next weekend’s performance against Brighton at Old Trafford would be a more accurate reflection of his team’s progress this season.
“That was the biggest win in my time at Manchester United. “It means a lot today, but tomorrow it won’t mean a lot,” said Amorim.
The United boss had faced intense scrutiny following a humiliating League Cup exit to fourth-tier Grimsby in August and a league defeat to Brentford last month.
But successive wins over Sunderland and their fiercest rivals have lifted United to ninth place in the Premier League, just two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
“It was really important for our fans. They struggled against Grimsby, against Brentford, and today they saw a different team,” Amorim added. “To win in the stadium of the champions and our biggest rivals is really important.”
Despite the significance of the victory, Amorim admitted that United’s display was far from flawless.
Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring for the visitors just 61 seconds into the match, and although Bruno Fernandes struck the post later, United were forced to endure heavy pressure.
Cody Gakpo hit the woodwork three times before finally levelling the score in the 78th minute. But Maguire, who had squandered a golden chance during United’s 2-2 draw at Anfield in January, made amends with a decisive header from Fernandes’s cross.
“It was a great win, not a very well-played game, but a great spirit, and that is all I can ask,” said Amorim.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot lamented his side’s lack of composure in front of goal and poor set-piece defending. The Reds have now lost four consecutive matches for the first time since 2014.
Alexander Isak was denied his first Premier League goal for Liverpool by goalkeeper Senne Lammens before half-time, while Mohamed Salah missed a clear chance early in the second half. Gakpo also failed to convert a late header that could have salvaged a point.
“If you told me (before the game) we would create eight, nine or 10 open chances, I wouldn’t think that was possible. From all the chances we got, we only scored one goal,” said Slot.
“It’s almost impossible to win a big game of football with a negative set-piece balance. We conceded another one today that led to us losing the game.”
The defeat leaves Liverpool four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
