MATCH REPORT: UNITED 0 LIVERPOOL 3

Tour 2024, presented by Snapdragon, came to a close on Sunday, as United were defeated by Liverpool in South Carolina.
Two first-half goals from Fabio Carvalho and Curtis Jones gave Liverpool a healthy advantage at the interval, despite a deluge of United attempts, and Konstantinos Tsimikas made it three just after the hour-mark.

Erik ten Hag’s team created many more chances throughout the contest, amid plenty of encouraging attacking play, but could not find the finishing touches to turn the scoreline in our favour.

There were further injury worries towards the end of the game, meanwhile, when Will Fish and Aaron Wan-Bissaka left the pitch in apparent pain.

FIRST HALF – AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY

If Erik ten Hag was hoping to see a performance that revealed his team’s readiness for the first competitive game of the season – next weekend’s Community Shield against Manchester City – then much of the opening few minutes in South Carolina would have encouraged him.

The Reds were quickest out of the traps in the early moments, pressing Liverpool doggedly inside the opposition half and creating good early shooting opportunities for Amad and Mount.

But it was the Merseysiders who took the lead, when a nice dummy from Fabio Carvalho duped Casemiro inside the United area, enabling the Portuguese to wind up a shot on goal. The subsequent effort was deflected, leaving Andre Onana helpless as it dribbled into the corner of the goal.
Rather than deflate the Reds, however, that bad slice of luck seemed to inspire them. The next 10-15 minutes saw a barrage of United attacks, starting with a delicious chip that Casemiro lifted over the Liverpool defence for Mason Mount to run on to. The southerner’s resulting shot was well blocked by the chest of Caomihin Kelleher, but the chances kept on flowing.

Rashford shot just wide after a misplaced Konate pass, before Sancho failed to get the requisite purchase on an excellent Mount cross from the right flank. Kelleher was then in action again to tip another Rashford strike over the bar, and our no.10 came close to finding the bottom corner of Liverpool’s net with a left-footed drive not long after that.

But, irritatingly, our profligacy was punished once more by Liverpool with 10 minutes of the half remaining. Excellent skill by Mohamed Salah helped the Egyptian evade Toby Collyer down the Reds’ left side, and the Anfield legend speared an astute low ball across United’s six-yard box for Curtis Jones to tap home.

United were ahead in most of the key metrics come the half-time whistle – more chances created, more shots on goal, more touches in the opposition box – but the all-conquering metric, of course, was in favour of Arne Slot’s boys.

SECOND HALF – MORE INJURY CONCERNS

United sought to snap back early in the second half but, sadly, the next 45 followed a broadly similar pattern to the first.

The Reds created enough chances to level the game up before the hour mark, with Casemiro, McTominay and Will Fish all going close, but, instead, Liverpool’s clinical finishing pushed United even further adrift. When Diogo Jota was found by Conor Bradley’s cutback, Onana did well to parry the Portuguese’s close-range effort, but the ball ran loose to left-back Tsimikas, who swept the ball home from barely a yard out.

A raft of changes for both sides followed in the remainder of the half, which transformed the game into a more bitty contest, but still a first goal proved elusive for United. And there was further pain still to come, when Will Fish was stretchered off with what seemed like an ankle problem and then Aaron Wan-Bissaka was unable to continue following a heavy collision.

As the full-time whistle blew, United’s players were confronted with the sight of an unflattering scoreline. But pre-season is the best time to learn lessons and, here, Erik ten Hag’s team were given a stinging reminder that chances need not only to be created, but also converted.

LINE-UPS

United: Onana; Wan-Bissaka (Scanlon 83), Lindelof (Bennett 46), Evans (Fish 46, Oyedele 73), Amass (Murray 73); Casemiro (c), Collyer (Eriksen 63); Amad (Antony 63), Mount (Wheatley 63), Rashford (McTominay 46); Sancho (Mather 73).

Subs not used: Heaton, Vitek, Fletcher, Hannibal.

Bookings: Fish.

Liverpool: Kelleher (Jaros 46); Bradley (Stephenson 73), Konate (van den Berg 46), Quansah, Tsimikas (Chambers 66); Jones (Nyoni 60), Gravenberch, Elliott; Salah (Phillips 66), Jota (Blair 66), Carvalho (Doak 66).

Subs not used: Endo, Bajcetic, Morton.

Goals: Carvalho 10, Jones 36, Tsimikas 61.

Attendance: 77,559.

WIN A TOUR 2024 MATCH BUNDLE

To celebrate our third and final game of Tour 2024, presented by Snapdragon, we are giving fans around the world the chance to win an exclusive match bundle.

Enter your details now and you could bag an 2024/25 adidas home shirt, the new training range, Premium Membership, and an annual subscription for MUTV.