Manchester United failed to capitalize on the advantage they gave Liverpool this summer, something Reds fans will no doubt appreciate. We may be just four games away from the start of the new season, but there is already a feeling that the 2023/24 season will overcome the disappointment of the past 12 months for Liverpool.
Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa ensured three wins and a draw as their unbeaten start to the season continues, with Jürgen Klopp’s side posting their best performance to date against a team that has seen some of the “big six” of the Premier League upset. ‘.
Not only that, but the victory was made all the sweeter for the Liverpool fans as just hours later they saw Manchester United fall into the most dramatic of circumstances at Arsenal, with the Gunners scoring twice in stoppage time to win a sure 3-1 victory.
Of course it’s still too early to base predictions for the season on what we’ve seen so far, but in United’s case we may have already seen the club’s top four, and that doesn’t bode well for Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils have already traveled to two of the other traditional ‘big six’ – namely Tottenham and Arsenal – and have gone away empty handed both times. They have taken six points from their two home games so far, but victories over Wolves and Nottingham Forest have been less than convincing, in stark contrast to Liverpool’s recent performances.
Reds fans will obviously take every opportunity to laud the club against their great rivals, and this situation should be no different. After all, just a few months ago United beat Liverpool to a coveted top four finish, yet appear to have squandered the chance to take home the lead to secure the Champions League.
Liverpool didn’t face any problems during the transfer window. There is still a need for a new central defender, a reinforcement from Trent Alexander-Arnold would be ideal and given recent speculation about his future, a long-term successor to Mohamed Salah may need to be found soon.
The Reds, however, faced their biggest problem with four signings during a major midfield rebuild, and Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are already showing the fruits of that labor.
And while initial evidence suggests Liverpool could be on track again, the same cannot be said for United. Yes, a new goalkeeper has been found in André Onana and a new striker in Rasmus Højlund, but looking at the first few weeks of the season many of the same problems Ten Hag had last season have not been resolved.
