Manchester United’s clinical win over Liverpool at Old Trafford mathematically ensures they finish above their rivals. John Aldridge laments Liverpool’s “mountain to climb” and controversial refereeing decisions.
The North West Derby delivered a definitive blow to Liverpool’s campaign this past weekend, as a stinging defeat on enemy soil saw Manchester United effectively settle the season’s hierarchy.
The result at Old Trafford does more than just sting the pride; it virtually guarantees that the Red Devils will finish above the Reds in the Premier League standings.
For Arne Slot, the loss was a sobering reminder of the gap that has opened up between the two rivals this term. While Liverpool have shown flashes of brilliance, United’s clinical performance in front of a raucous home crowd has provided them with the mathematical cushion needed to stay out of reach.
It was another sluggish and uninspiring opening 45 minutes for the Reds, who looked second-best as they allowed their rivals to race into a two-goal lead before the interval. The disjointed display left Arne Slot with a mountain to climb at halftime, as Liverpool struggled to find any rhythm or creative spark.
However, the tide turned almost immediately after the restart. Emerging with renewed intensity, Liverpool surged back into the contest to level the scoring in short order.
At the heart of this resurgence was Dominik Szoboszlai, who acted as the definitive catalyst for the comeback. The Hungarian midfielder injected the drive and verticality that had been sorely missing, dragging his side back into the game and momentarily silencing the Old Trafford crowd.
Former Liverpool forward John Aldridge believed the game was in the balance, but it was another blow to a campaign full of misery. In the Liverpool Echo, he said, “United were there for the taking. They’d gone. But we slowed it down instead of going for another goal. It was strange.
“To get beat again – we’ve seen it so many times this year – especially against them, it hurts. Really, it’s their cup final because they’ve got nothing else to go for.”
This is very much becoming a common theme, where it seems Slot’s troops need to move mountains in order to get any momentum to swing their way, or to simply apply some pressure to their opponent when the game is there for the taking.
The Champions League quarter-final against Paris-Saint Germain at Anfield is an example of this. Despite being 2-0 behind in the tie, they didn’t attack the PSG goal enough as they should have, so when Ousmane Dembele scored, the tie was effectively over from there. Something the former Irish international pointed out.
“There’s been nothing between the sides in both games this campaign, but we’ve thrown away many games this season, so it’s nothing new to us.”
It’s been a slippery slope for the Dutch Head Coach to deal with this time around in comparison to last May, when the supporters and first team squad were very much in party mode.
Despite the dramatic decline, Aldridge believes that Michael Carrick’s team are in a worse position than the Anfield outfit, despite them finishing higher in the league.
“I still believe that United are in a darker place than Liverpool, given what we’ve done over recent years. They’re trying to make a resurgence, but we’ve just got to get back to what we’re good at next season.”
The Red Devils have only played 40 games this season, after getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup at the first hurdle. With the addition of the Champions League next season, it will be tough not just to match this season’s form, but also for bodies not to break down with games coming on fast.
The last two times United have competed in Europe, their league campaigns have derailed. While the Reds have been poor this season, it’s nothing in contrast to their rivals’ position in 2024/25, where they finished 15th.
A game of unlucky circumstances for Liverpool
When the home side took a two-goal advantage on Sunday, there was plenty of debate regarding the goal which seemed to strike the hand of Benjamin Sesko, which, with the rules enforced by the league, shouldn’t have counted.
Aldridge was far from pleased with the decision and believes that this is just one of multiple rulings that have gone against the club this season.
“If Sesko’s goal had been at the other end and flicked the fingers of a Liverpool player, would it have been allowed? I don’t think that it would. We don’t get the percentage of results that we should.
“Don’t get me wrong, we probably didn’t deserve it on Sunday, but when you need a little bit of luck with decisions, we’ve had quite a few go against us.”
One other piece of bad luck the Reds had to share was the news that they would be without Alexander Isak. The Swede scored in the previous game against Crystal Palace and looked ready to claim his place after being out for months.
It’s just another thing that has spiralled out of control this year, which has had a major effect on the team.
“For so many players to be injured throughout the season is uncanny. I don’t want to use it as an excuse for Liverpool’s poor season, because even when players are fit, we haven’t been good enough.
“Whether it’s just bad luck or not, we’ll have to wait and see next season, but it certainly hasn’t helped. Hopefully, Isak’s problem is just minor, and he can make it back for the match against Chelsea.”
The Swede wasn’t involved in training on Wednesday in preparation for the game, but the team need to be prepared to make a change following the devastating defeat.
