United Beyond Manchester

One of the greatest North-West Derbies ended in a Manchester United win at Old Trafford. It was a back-and-forth match that was only decided in the 121st minute by Amad Diallo. Let’s break down this heart attack of a match.

First Half

Manchester United required a good start after a couple of poor performances and a good start came. After multiple early chances, Scott McTominay found the breakthrough.

After a quick free kick, Marcus Rashford found Alejandro Garnacho running through a gap in the Liverpool defense inside the box. The Argentine winger’s effort was saved, but Scott McTominay beat Alexis McAllister to the ball and tapped it home for an early 1-0 Manchester United lead.

Manchester United’s defense in the first 30 minutes was brilliant. Victor Lindelof marshaled Darwin Nunez, Wan-Bissaka kept Salah quiet, and Raphael Varane made a couple of great interceptions.

Another great opportunity fell to McTominay in the 34th minute, but it was hit straight to Kelleher. Kobbie Mainoo made Liverpool’s defenders look foolish before Rashford put in a great ball, but the Scotsman could not find a corner of the Liverpool net.

Just two minutes later, the visitors thought they had equalized through Wataru Endo, but an offside call kept the derby 1-0.

Liverpool equalized in the 44th minute through a deflected McAllister strike. Jarell Quansah walked by Marcus Rashford to get into the Manchester United box and find Nunez, who set up the hit for McAllister.

In typical 2023-2024 Manchester United fashion, a second goal was conceded immediately. Mo Salah tapped home an easy finish after a save from Andre Onana fell right to his feet.

After a great start, Manchester United completely unraveled and entered the halftime breakdown 2-1.

Second Half

The game opened up early as United put more bodies forward to attack. The first real effort of the second half came from Dominik Szoboszlai, with Onana making a save at his bottom corner in the 55th minute.

Andre Onana kept United in the tie with a save at his near post in the 62nd minute from a Nunez strike. Nunez beat his defender and hit the ball well, but the Cameroonian keeper was ready.

Manchester United was out of the game for much of the second half but leveled the match through an unlikely source. Antony scored a brilliant turnaround goal with his weak foot after a deflected shot from Garnacho. It was a deserved goal for a player who has taken so much heat recently.

The home side dominated the final 10 minutes and should have won before extra time, but Marcus Rashford finessed a finish wide of the post after a beautiful clipped ball by Christian Eriksen.

Extra Time

Antony continued to be lively and saw a curled shot flash just over the bar two minutes in. United stayed the aggressors and had the better chances, but the away side got a second deflected shot to find the net. Harvey Elliot’s strike from distance took a wicked deflection off of Eriksen to give Liverpool a 3-2 lead.

The match saw another turn in the 111th minute when Marcus Rashford passed the ball into the net after Scott McTominay won the ball back and played him in. After the huge miss at the end of normal time, Rashford rebounded to keep the Reds alive late.

AMAD DIALLO! Amad Diallo’s first goal of the season scored on a fast break, won the game at the death for Manchester United. It was a finish of absolute quality into the bottom corner and will be talked about for years to come. 4-3 Manchester United. Full-time.

Player of the Match

Manchester United had several players that could deserve the Man of the Match honors. Scott McTominay had a goal and assist, Antony grabbed an equalizer and was lively coming off the bench, and Kobbie Mainoo showed poise and maturity in the midfield. However, Amad Diallo takes the Man of the Match after a 121st-minute finish to send Manchester United into the semi-finals. Amad was good after coming on and contributed to United’s pressure throughout extra time. The finish, though, was pure quality. At first, it looked as though Amad had taken the ball too far wide, but the young Ivorian placed an inch-perfect finish into the bottom corner. His celebration was legendary, and so was the sending-off that came from it. Amad Diallo will be one to watch throughout the rest of this season.

Match Ratings

Andre Onana: 6 – Made a few good saves but failed to get the ball away for Salah’s goal.

Diogo Dalot: 6 – Defended well.

Raphael Varane: 7 – Defended well again as he continues to be reliable for the Reds.

Victor Lindelof: 7 – Defended well in several positions and nearly had a stunner with his left.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 6 – Defended well against Salah in his return.

Kobbie Mainoo: 8 – Did everything for United. Tracked back brilliantly, showed skill on the ball, and showed poise at just 18.

Scott McTominay: 8 – Grabbed the first United goal and provided an assist to level in extra time.

Bruno Fernandes: 6 – Was solid and gave everything as he could barely walk by full-time. 

Marcus Rashford: 6 – Lacked defensive effort but overcame obstacles to level the score at 3.

Rasmus Hojlund: 5 – Was never really in the game but United looks much better with him on the field.

Alejandro Garnacho: 8 – Gave everything he had and provided the assist for United’s winner.

Antony (on in 71st Minute): 8 – Beautiful finish on the turn and was quality when he came on.

Harry Maguire (on in 71st Minute): 6 – Defended well.

Christian Eriksen (on in 80th Minute): 6 – Was creative when he came on and should have had an assist to Rashford.

Amad Diallo (on in 85th Minute): 8 – Came on and changed the game with Antony. Scored a legendary goal.

Mason Mount (on in 105th Minute): 6 – Did not do much but was great to see him back.

Looking Ahead

Manchester United will look to build on this performance after the International Break against Brentford before games against Chelsea and Liverpool.

There are many positives to take from this match, and Erik Ten Hag will be pushing his team for Top 4 (or 5). The race remains open after Tottenham and Aston Villa dropped points this weekend.