Two goals from Luis Diaz and one from Mohamed Salah sealed an easy win for Liverpool against Manchester United. With nine points from three games, The Kop moved to the top of the Premier League, level with Manchester City.
Meanwhile, this is the second defeat for the "Red Devils" after the first 3 matches in the Premier League this season. With more than 180 million pounds invested in transfers, questions are starting to be raised about the ability of Erik ten Hag's team to compete for a Champions League ticket.
Ten Hag, now in his third season as United manager, lost to Slot, who was in only his third game as Liverpool manager. The build-up to the game was dominated by the story of two Dutch managers who had moved from the Eredivisie to take charge of the Premier League's two biggest clubs. However, Slot looked more like a manager who had been in charge for years than Ten Hag.
Last season's FA Cup win helped keep Ten Hag in his job at Old Trafford, but all the problems that threatened his position last year were replayed in the defeat to Liverpool.
Under Ten Hag, the Red Devils were often overwhelmed in midfield, lacking threat up front and also struggling with full-backs. Some of that can be attributed to personnel, but players have changed over time and the problems have not gone away.
Casemiro lacks the mobility to play at Premier League level, while Bruno Fernandes is too eager to attack and leaves huge gaps. Ten Hag had plenty of time to rectify those errors, but he didn’t. And that’s why Liverpool completely dominated the Old Trafford side.
Up front, Ten Hag stuck with the out-of-form Marcus Rashford, who is yet to score this season. Summer signing Joshua Zirkzee also looked out of shape. And Ten Hag's substitutions - allowing Rashford to play the full 90 minutes but withdrawing the impressive Alejandro Garnacho - left fans wondering.
Last week, Ten Hag said Slot had inherited a better team at Liverpool than he had at Man United. But Ten Hag has now had enough time to make a difference. The performance against Liverpool was a worrying one for the former Ajax manager heading into the new season.
"I think Man United started well. However, we made mistakes and paid the price for Liverpool's good finishing. All three goals were impressive chances for them.
I have to admit that. Especially the first two goals. You can't make those mistakes against strong clubs like Liverpool. They kill you immediately" - Ten Hag said after the match.
