It had to be Harry Maguire showing the defiance to decide this 217th meeting of English football’s biggest rivals. It had to be Manchester United’s strong-willed centre-back getting on the end of Bruno Fernandes’s clever cross and powering his header into Liverpool’s net.
It had to be Maguire because he cares so deeply about the reputation of the team and of the club. It hurts him when United struggle, as they have for so long. It wounds him that he himself gets mocked, even by some United fans who demanded the club sell “Slab-head,” as he’s known.
