No reward without risk
Erik ten Hag has been keen to instil an authoritarian approach at Manchester United, and he has certainly set a precedent early on that nobody is indispensable to his side, no matter their reputation.
Club captain Harry Maguire and the highest earner, Cristiano Ronaldo, were both dropped for the visit of Liverpool, along with fan favourite Fred and long-serving Luke Shaw. It was always going to be a huge risk for the new United manager, particularly after the two defeats to start his reign, but it shows he has the belief to make such risky big calls.
If the gambles had backfired, then Ten Hag would have been slated. Instead, he deserves enormous credit for what he did.
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United have a tactical blueprint
There is still room for improvement, but United now have a clear blueprint of how to play against any side in the Premier League. Rather than choosing a risk-averse line-up looking to minimise their own shortcomings, Ten Hag instead wanted to embrace the talents of his own side, opting for pace and perpetual movement in the final third.
United identified Liverpool's weakness as the right hand side of defence and looked to exploit it from the off, targeting Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive vulnerabilities whenever they got possession of the ball.
Instead of selecting the reliable, but restrictive, 'McFred' axis, Christian Eriksen was brought into the fold, providing an extra dimension with his creativity and composure from the centre. This gave Bruno Fernandes license to attack, and do that he did against a Liverpool side that hugely missed Fabinho from the start.
Going forward, United must continue to embrace their own talents and attack teams from the off with their own hugely talented forward line.
Ten Hag might have another captain
A host of key players were dropped for the match, but Ten Hag stuck by Bruno Fernandes, even naming him captain in the absence of Maguire.
It was another bold decision, but one that paid off massively. The Portuguese has endured a torrid run of form ever since he signed his new contract earlier in the year, and he was perhaps fortunate to lose his starting role given how poorly he has played.
With the armband strapped around his sleeve, he produced a true captain's performance, leading from the front with an energetic approach and orchestrating his teammates whenever there was a break in play.
There have to be genuine questions asked of Maguire following his outright dropping in favour of the more mobile Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, and if so that means a new on-field captain is needed at the very least.
But there are still flaws in the 27-year-old's game, namely his stupid decision to fight Liverpool players for the ball when he was already on a yellow after Mohamed Salah's consolation goal. He might have received a red card on another day, but he was fortunate that he did not.
It is that passion that gives Fernandes the spark to do what few others can, but it is also a trait that can often be his undoing too.
A potential partnership
Speaking of Maguire's absence, it might become a prolonged one considering just how well the United defence did without him against one of the most dangerous attacks in the Premier League.
Much of the post-match analysis will be about how Jurgen Klopp's side underperformed, which is true to a degree. However, part of the reason why is that they were coming unstuck against a stubborn defensive line.
There were a few shaky moments when the two centre-backs were dragged apart, leaving sizeable gaps in the backline, but for a work in progress, the signs are still very promising.
If they can manage to keep the Frenchman fit, then United might finally have a defensive duo who compliment one another's game and can offer a level of consistency at the back that has been missing in recent years.
Fans make their feelings known
In the end, it was a night where football took centre stage, but United fans still made clear their anger at the ownership of the club as they called for the Glazer family to sell up in their latest protest.
While most of the protesting took place outside Old Trafford ahead of the match, those fortunate enough to be inside the ground also made their feelings known.
Rather than letting the momentous win paper over the cracks, there were anti-Glazer chants aired in the wake of both United goals, as well as at full-time.
No matter what happens in the coming weeks, if United fans really want to enforce change at the club then they must keep up their regular objections to the current ownership model.
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