It was difficult to imagine a more perfect afternoon for Arne Slot – or a more harrowing one for Erik ten Hag who, just three games into the Premier League season, is back in familiar territory; the vultures circling, his credentials as the Manchester United manager under yet more scrutiny.
Slot had won his first two games in charge of Liverpool – against Ipswich and Brentford – but this was supposed to be an acid test. It was not, United so obliging, their first-half woes epitomised by a terrible performance from Casemiro. Things did not get any better thereafter, the only consolation being that they avoided a real pasting, one to rival the 7-0 at Anfield from two seasons ago. Liverpool had the chances to rack up a similar number of goals.
