Kobbie Mainoo’s second-half strike settled a chaotic contest as Manchester United completed their first Premier League double over Liverpool in a decade with a 3–2 victory.

United raced into a 2–0 interval lead through summer signings Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško. Šeško ran the channels and looked fully settled, while Cunha combined grit and tidy possession to trouble the visitors. United’s hold seemed comfortable at half-time, but two errant passes allowed Liverpool back into the match before the hour mark.

Amad Diallo replaced the injured Šeško at halftime, and he notched an assist with his first involvement of the match. However, instead of teeing up a red shirt, Amad’s woeful infield pass was stolen by Dominik Szoboszlai, who ran through and scored. That moment shifted the game, and further miscontrol near the back saw Senne Lammens outfoxed by Alexis Mac Allister, allowing Cody Gakpo to equalize.

Mainoo’s composed finish then swung momentum again. “That’s some way to celebrate your contract extension .” United held on to confirm their place in next season’s Champions League.

Player ratings (Man Utd):
GK: Senne Lammens—4.9: Looked like Lammens would be in for a quiet afternoon with Liverpool struggling to penetrate, but he instead allowed the visitors back into the game.
RB: Diogo Dalot—6.8: Liverpool struggled to contain Dalot’s surges early on, with the right back functioning as a useful attacking outlet. There were far fewer forays once the visitors found a route back into the game.
CB: Harry Maguire—6.9: Undone by Szoboszlai for Liverpool’s first goal, but that was the only notable negative sequence from Maguire.
CB: Ayden Heaven—6.8: There were moments of distinct confidence from Heaven, especially with the ball at his feet. The youngster couldn’t be blamed for United‘s terrible start to the second half.
LB: Luke Shaw—7.4: An injury doubt heading into the game, Shaw started his 35th match of the Premier League season, earning a booking in the process. Shaw was steady enough up against the frantic Jeremie Frimpong, excluding the first 15 minutes of the second half.
DM: Casemiro—7.5: Missed a huge headed opportunity at 2–2, having been a little too eager to run up the score when the hosts held a comfortable lead. It’s not exactly clear what happened to United’s midfield after halftime.
DM: Kobbie Mainoo—8.0: Flow state in the opening period, and was ultimately the match-winner. However, there were concerns in the second half, with both of United’s midfielders getting caught ahead of the ball, allowing Liverpool to wreak havoc on the counter.
RW: Bryan Mbeumo—7.6: His goal contribution drought continued, but there were positives to take from Mbeumo’s performance. The forward’s delivery was crisp, and his smart off-the-ball running often went unnoticed by teammates.
AM: Bruno Fernandes—7.9: The tips of Woodman’s fingers denied Man Utd’s captain his record-equaling 20th Premier League assist of the season. Fernandes’ influence waned after halftime.
LW: Matheus Cunha—8.0: Kick-started an entertaining, quite bizarre soccer match with an early deflected effort. Cunha worked tirelessly and was a threat in the pockets during the first half.
ST: Benjamin Šeško—7.3: Strong end to the season continued on Sunday, even if he didn’t know much about his bundled finish, which surely should’ve been ruled out for handball. Withdrawn at halftime with suspected injury.

Subs: Amad Diallo (46’ for Šeško)—5.6, Patrick Dorgu (76’ for Mbeumo)—6.2, Joshua Zirkzee (87’ for Cunha)—N/A, Leny Yoro (90’ for Fernandes)—N/A. Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Noussair Mazraoui, Tyrell Malacia, Manuel Ugarte, Mason Mount.

Match statistics (Man Utd vs Liverpool): Possession 38%–62%, xG 2.14–0.89, Total Shots 18–13, Shots on Target 6–5, Big Chances 3–1, Passing Accuracy 79%–88%, Fouls 12–11.

Alexander Isak was ruled out of Sunday’s derby against Manchester United with a groin injury, prolonging a difficult debut campaign at Liverpool. Isak had been eased into first-team action during his first three months at the club before suffering a broken fibula against Tottenham Hotspur in December. He did not make another appearance until April and had started to regain form, scoring a well-taken goal against Crystal Palace last weekend, but that momentum was halted.

Arne Slot named a 4-2-3-1 for the trip to Old Trafford: Freddie Woodman; Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Jeremie Frimpong, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz; Cody Gakpo.

Substitutes: Armin Pecsi (GK), Joe Gomez, Milos Kerkez, Federico Chiesa, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha, Mor Talla Ndiaye, Will Wright.

With Hugo Ekitiké and Mohamed Salah also sidelined, Slot again adjusted his selection. Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong are all capable of filling the right-back role for Liverpool, while Szoboszlai and Frimpong have also been used further up the right flank. Cody Gakpo is expected to resume an unloved central striking role, though Slot could deploy Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai in a dual-false-nine setup he used sporadically last season.

First-choice goalkeeper Alisson did not overcome his fitness issue for the trip, and with Giorgi Mamardashvili also unavailable, Freddie Woodman started in goal once more.

At this late stage of the season a relatively minor muscle strain can end a campaign, and with a World Cup on the horizon there is added incentive for players and staff to take a cautious approach to rehabilitation and recovery.

Manchester United and Liverpool have produced a sequence of fixtures rich in drama and sudden swings of fortune. Michael Carrick set the tone ahead of his first meeting with the rival: “There’s big games and big rivalries that we have with other teams,” Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mused before his first managerial meeting with Liverpool, “but certainly this one is right up there in the history.”

One FA Cup quarterfinal captured that chaos in microcosm. Scott McTominay opened inside 10 minutes, only for the contest to unravel at the back for the hosts late on. In the closing stages United’s right winger Antony was deployed at left back beside Bruno Fernandes, who ended up orchestrating play from a deep defensive position. Antony forced extra time with an 87th-minute intervention after Liverpool had gone 2–1 up on the cusp of half time. Harvey Elliott nudged the visitors back in front, Marcus Rashford restored parity, and Amad Diallo snatched victory in the 121st minute. Diallo was shown a red card in the 122nd minute after collecting a second booking for taking his shirt off to celebrate the winner.

Less than a month later United applied a major dent to Liverpool’s Premier League hopes and ensured Jürgen Klopp would not have a happy sendoff. United were only denied all three points by Mohamed Salah’s late penalty. “It feels like a loss,” Virgil van Dijk lamented after the final whistle.

Arne Slot’s first visit to Old Trafford brought a different story. Liverpool ran rampant, Luis Díaz struck a first-half brace and Mohamed Salah added a further goal as the Theatre of Dreams emptied at half time. Casemiro was withdrawn at the interval by Erik ten Hag. Slot later explained how he outsmarted Ten Hag in his postmatch interview with Sky Sports.

January 2025, amid a Merseyside blizzard, arrived when Manchester United were fragile after four straight defeats and seven unanswered goals conceded. Under Ruben Amorim the visitors produced arguably their best performance of his doomed reign: Lisandro Martínez gave United an early lead, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah replied quickly, and Amad Diallo’s 80th-minute equaliser preserved pride.

Even the more recent meeting in October 2025 held a twist. United’s wait for an Anfield victory had stretched to nearly a decade by the time Harry Maguire thundered in the winner in a 2–1 win after an opening goal inside 63 seconds and a Cody Gakpo leveller in the 78th minute.