Manchester United finally broke their long-standing Anfield curse, defeating Liverpool away from home for the first time since January 2016. The dramatic 2-1 victory ended a ten-match winless run on Merseyside and pushed the Red Devils to within two points of the Premier League champions.
With United failing to win any of their previous eight league away games, few expected an upset. But Ruben Amorim’s men made a dream start — taking the lead within the opening 62 seconds. Bruno Fernandes fed Amad Diallo down the right, whose clever pass found Bryan Mbeumo. The forward calmly slotted home past Giorgi Mamardashvili, scoring one of the fastest goals ever in the fixture’s Premier League history.
Liverpool players protested the goal, claiming Alexis Mac Allister was down with a head injury after a collision with Virgil van Dijk, but the referee waved play on.
The hosts gradually found their rhythm and almost levelled in the 21st minute when Cody Gakpo curled a stunning effort that hit the post. Moments later, Fernandes struck the post for United after a fine exchange with Amad. United looked threatening on every counterattack, with Mamardashvili denying both Mbeumo and Mason Mount before half-time.
Liverpool returned after the break determined to respond, with Gakpo again denied by the woodwork after connecting with a Mohamed Salah cross. Both managers made triple substitutions around the hour mark as the match turned into a frenetic, end-to-end battle.
The Reds’ persistence finally paid off when Federico Chiesa’s low cross was turned in by Gakpo for the equaliser, sending Anfield into raptures.
However, United silenced the crowd in the 84th minute. Bruno Fernandes delivered a pinpoint cross that Harry Maguire powered home with a header, restoring United’s lead. Amorim’s side then defended valiantly against Liverpool’s late barrage to secure back-to-back league wins for the first time under the Portuguese coach.
The defeat marked Liverpool’s fourth consecutive loss across all competitions and their third straight in the Premier League, compounding pressure on manager Arne Slot.
