Jamie Carragher doesn’t tend to let the opportunity to wind up Gary Neville pass by, and he jumped at the chance while the pair commentated on Liverpool’s thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Neville had somewhat controversially said in a previous programme this season that he felt United’s selection of midfielders was better than Liverpool’s, and on that basis predicted that his former club would finish higher in the Premier League table.
After only three games of the season, that prediction is already looking misplaced as United fell to their second defeat in a row in a 3-0 defeat by their old rivals – who have now won all three matches under new manager Arne Slot.
Carragher posed the question to Neville once more, interjecting to ask: “Would you still not swap midfields?”
Neville replied: “Let me finish,” before embarking on a monologue about Liverpool’s dominance and United’s struggles in the centre of the pitch, and bemoaning Erik ten Hag’s management.
“This Liverpool three have outplayed, out-thought [United’s]… He’s got to get more out of the players that he’s got at his disposal because they’re not bad players, and on paper you may even not swap them, but on the pitch, you look at them and it’s…” before trailing off.
”Now you’ve finished,” Carragher chimed in, “would you answer my question?”
Neville did not.
Later, Neville questioned whether United’s hierarchy are on the right path with recruitment and their summer retention of manager Erik ten Hag.
The visitors punished an error-strewn display from United, with two goals from Luis Diaz and a Mohamed Salah strike securing a comfortable victory, and Neville said the manner of United’s loss has given the club’s Ineos owners plenty questions to answer in the coming months.
“Manchester United made terrible errors and Liverpool pounced on them Jurgen Klopp style, winning the ball high up the pitch and then devastating and precise,” he said.
“Mo Salah in particular with those two passes in the first half and the finishes were fantastic and the next one was always going to be important in the second half and United didn’t get it and Liverpool did.
“They fully deserved their victory today. It was a sobering day for Erik ten Hag and a sobering day for United’s players and I think the new ownership, sat in the stand en-masse, thinking: ‘Are we on the right path here?’
“That’s the question they will have to ask in the next few months.”
