Arne Slot Under Pressure As Manchester United Stun Liverpool Again
By Tanko Bauka
Manchester United’s under-fire head coach, Ruben Amorim, produced one of his best results since his appointment as the Red Devils manager last November, after a poor result by his predecessor, Eric Ten Hag.
Ruben Amorim was drafted to steady the ship, many believe was already sinking, and the Portuguese, had a successful stint with FC Porto, where he won two Primeira Liga titles.
Ruben Amorim, upon arrival, discovered the situation could not be fixed within a short time, but on the other hand, the supporters don’t have the luxury of patience, and the management kept faith in the head coach to turn things around.
Going into Anfield stadium was like going into the lions den to get devoured and Manchester United had not been finding it easy because to them Anfield stadium is a one dangerous and dreaded ground for them but fortunate for Manchester United, going into the encounter knowing fully that Liverpool FC are having a blip in the league after losing to Crystal Palace and Chelsea as well as to Galatarary in the Champion League.
The match provided the two rivals an opportunity to make a categorical statement by making an amendment where necessary to kick start their season and hardly had the match started that Manchester United drew the first blow from a through pass by Diallo Amad for Bryan Mbeumo who slotted in at the far corner to give the visitors the lead.
The first half ended 1-0 in the favour of Manchester United and on resumption of the second half, Liverpool FC came in with a renewed vigour, fire up by the vociferous supporters in the ground and finally got the equalizer through Cody Gakpo who had been threatening Manchester United defence throughout the encounter but in the quest to go for all the three points at stake Arne Slot left themselves exposed as Manchester United capitalised and got the winner scored by Harry Maguire to hand Ruben Amorim the best result of his managerial career.
In the other weekend encounters, Arsenal extended their lead and grip on the league table to four points as they beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage Stadium in London in a goal scored through Arsenal’s usual trademark set piece which was flicked into the path of Trossard by Gabriel Magalhaes in a well-taken corner kick by Bukayo Saka.
Chelsea defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0, a result which led to the sacking of the Nottingham Forest head coach Ange Postecoglou, who was relieved of his duties after a series of poor results, while Manchester City continued their impressive run with a comfortable 2-0 win against Everton.
Sunderland also continued to impress with yet another victory against Wolves at the Stadium of Light as Crystal Palace came from behind to earn a point in a six-goal thriller against AFC Bournemouth at the Selhurst Park Stadium.
It was a mixed result for Thomas Frank Tottenham Hotspurs as they failed to hold on to their 1-0 lead and lost 2-1 to Unai Emery Aston Villa, while Brighton and Hove Albion produced yet another scintillating result against Newcastle United, as Burnley piped Leeds United 2-0 also.
In the Spanish La Liga, the Defending Champion FC Barcelona had to labour hard to overcome stubborn Girona, which almost ran away with a point, while Athletic Bilbao was held to a goalless draw by Elche, and Villarreal gave up two goals against Real Betis to settle for a two-all draw.
Real Madrid returns to the top of the league table after FC Barcelona had temporarily occupied the position following their earlier last-minute goal against Girona, while Atletico Madrid also picked up the three points with a win against Osasuna.
In the Italian Serie A, the surprise league leader AS Roma suffered a 1-0 loss against Inter Milan, as the league defending Champion Napoli was beaten 1-0 by Torino, while Atalanta and Lazio settled for a goalless draw to share the spoils.
Cesc Fabregas continued with his managerial career with a resounding 2-0 win against Juventus as AC Milan cancelled out Fiorentina’s lead to end proceedings 2-1.
In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich continue to show why they are the Champions with a comfortable 2-1 win against Borussia Dortmund, while Bayer Leverkusen also defeated Mainz 05 4-3.
RB Leipzig pip Hamburger 2-1 while Stuttgart beat Wolfsburg 3-0.
Results across Europe
English Barclays Premier League
Nothingham Forest 0- Chelsea 3
Sunderland 2- Wolves 0
Manchester City 2- Everton 0
Crystal Palace 3- Bournamount 3
Burnley 2- Leeds United 2
Brighton 2- Newcastle United 1
Fulham 0- Arsenal 1
Tottenham 1- Aston Villa 2
Liverpool 1- Manchester United 2
Spanish La Liga
Real Oviedo 0- Espanol 2
Sevilla 1- Mallorca 3
FC Barcelona 2- Girona 1
Villarreal 2- Real Betis 2
Atletico Madrid 1- Osasuna 0
Elche 0- Athletic Bilbao 0
Celta Vigo 1- Real Sociedad 1
Lavente 0- Rayo Vallacano 3
Gatafe 0- Real Madrid 1
Italian Serie A
Pisa SC 0- Hellas Verona 0
Lacce 0- Sassoulo 0
Torino 1-Napoli 0
AS Roma 0- Inter Milan 1
Como 2- Juventus 0
Genoa 0- Parma 0
Cagliari 0- Bologna 2
Atalanta 0- Lazio 0
AC Milan 2- Fiorentina 1
German Bundesliga
Union Berlin 3- Bayern Monchenglabach 1
Heidenheim 2- Werder Bremen 2
Koln 1- FC Augsburg 1
Wolfsburg 0- Stuttgart 3
RB Leipzig 2- hamburger 1
Mainz 05 3- Bayer Leverkusen 3
Bayern Munich 2- Dortmund 1
SC Freiburg 2- Frankfurt 2
FC St Pauli 0- Hoffenheim 3
