Manchester United laid down a marker at Anfield with a colossal 2-1 win over bitter rivals Liverpool.
It’s their first victory at the stadium since 2016, and makes it two wins on the bounce for under-fire head coach Ruben Amorim, whose players came good for him on this momentous occasion.
Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire scored the crucial goals, but there were massive contributions across the pitch.
Cunha a constant handful
Matheus Cunha was back in the starting lineup, and despite not scoring or assisting was one of the United’s best players.
The combative Brazilian was a constant thorn in Liverpool’s side, and no other player on the pitch attempted more duels than his 13.
Cunha may have only come out on top five times, but his insistent presence kept Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate busy and without a moment’s peace.
No other United player had more successful duels, and Cunha was the only player on either side to complete two dribbles, beating his man both times he tried.
Heavily involved
United’s stats usually show a defensive player having the most touches of the ball, but today nobody had more than Cunha’s 55 touches.
Captain Bruno Fernandes and goalkeeper Senne Lammens recorded the same amount, which points to a strong spine emerging in Amorim’s team with Cunha its spearhead.
The 26-year-old was productive with the ball, finding his man with 24 of his 29 attempted passes for a completion rate of 83%. Only Fernandes made more passes.
None of Cunha’s were classed as key passes, and he lost possession 14 times, the joint-most of any outfield United player (along with Fernandes).
It was a game which demanded grit and determination to hold onto the lead, and Cunha got stuck in with two clearances and one interception. His real value defensively, however, was as an outlet to carry the ball forward and protect it, something he did very well.
In more familiar territory, the Brazilian took two shots – one was off target, and the other blocked.
All stats taken from sofascore.
Featured image Michael Reagan via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.
