Liverpool earned a third win from as many Premier League games so far this season as they stormed to a 3-0 success at Manchester United on Sunday.
After a tense opening, the visiting Reds were handed the initiative and showed no mercy as they twice punished Casemiro with goals from Luis Diaz. When Mohamed Salah grabbed the third, it effectively sealed the points even with more than 30 minutes left to play.
There were few bad performances to note from the weekend, but who were Liverpool’s best and weakest performers? Here are their most impressive players from the triumph at Old Trafford, courtesy of 90min’s player ratings.
Luis Diaz – 9/10
Diaz has had a fair amount of trashy criticism thrown at him over the past year or so. Not always the most clinical finisher in the final third, the Colombia international was guilty of no such profligacy at Old Trafford with two well-taken goals.
While his header was more of a gimme, Diaz’s second finish was a delightfully placed strike into the bottom corner.
Now with three league goals in three games, the 27-year-old needs only six more to post a personal season best since moving to Merseyside.
Honourable mentions
Mohamed Salah – 8/10
Salah might have dropped a bit of a contract bombshell in the aftermath of Liverpool’s impressive victory, but that shouldn’t take away from his masterfully creative outing at Old Trafford.
The Egyptian looked razor sharp once again and picked up two assists for Diaz’s goals. His clip to the back post was nodded in before a flick was powerfully finished, with Salah then getting in on the act by leaving Andre Onana with no chance for Liverpool‘s third.
It looks like Salah is determined to make this season a special one – regardless of whether it turns out to be his last at Anfield – and performances like this show how motivated he is.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s 2023/24 campaign disappointingly fizzled out after an impressive start, though that was the story for a lot of Liverpool players last season.
However, he looks strong and powerful once again, driving forward and leading the visiting side’s press from the front.
The Hungarian bagged an assist by setting up Salah, which was just reward for his efforts.
Liverpool’s search for a ball-winning midfielder was a prominent story throughout the summer transfer window. However, no such player arrived and Arne Slot was forced to look within his squad for an answer.
So far, Ryan Gravenberch has proven to be an inspired selection in front of the back four. The Dutchman has patrolled that area of the pitch well, winning the ball back and intercepting errant passes, and charged forward like a prime Mousa Dembele against United.
It’s still early days in this role, but Gravenberch looks like he has the tools to play central midfield for Liverpool for the long haul.
No Liverpool player left Old Trafford with a decreased reputation after Sunday’s win, but there’ll be selection headaches for Slot to agonise over for the next few weeks.
One of them is up front, where Diogo Jota has been playing so far. While he was an unsettling presence for Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, the Portugal international wasn’t overly involved throughout the contest and pulled his one shot off target. However, it’s hardly the end of the world.
