THE most famous forehead in English football settled the most famous fixture in English football – and the reverberations were felt across the land.
Harry ‘Slab-head’ Maguire nutted home to ensure champions Liverpool were defeated for a fourth successive match and that Manchester United had won at Anfield for the first time in almost a decade.
And for Arne Slot’s shellshocked side, this was a home league for the first time in more than a year.
For Ruben Amorim, here were back-to-back Premier League victories for the very first time.
His United side had won away at the champions last season too – but that derby victory at the Etihad was a smash-and-grab raid. This one was hard-earned.
And everything we thought we knew about these two clubs just a month ago had been turned on its head.
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Back then Liverpool were five points clear of rivals, now after a maximum nine-point swing over three rounds of matches, they trail Mikel Arteta’s leaders by four.
Slot had gone hell-for-leather in the final half-hour, and Cody Gakpo had equalised a first-minute Bryan Mbeumo strike – after Liverpool’s Dutch wideman had struck the post THREE times.
Yet Maguire – recalled to the United line-up in an Amorim masterstroke – netted the 84th-minute winner from a gorgeous Bruno Fernandes cross and the visiting fans were in dreamland.
The big central defender is out of favour with England boss Thomas Tuchel and struggles for regular starts at United – but what a moment this was for an honest old-school pro.
This is the closest English football gets to a ‘Clasico’ – even though both clubs never seem to thrive at the same time.
Still, it was the first time in history that two English clubs met boasting 20 top-flight titles apiece and after Liverpool’s recent wobble, it did not seem the home banker it had tended to look in recent years.
Slot left £230million of summer signings on the bench, with his three big Bundesliga recruits Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong all out of favour.
Amorim ditched his £74m striker Benjamin Sesko – despite two goals in the Slovenian’s previous two appearances, Matheus Cunha employed as a ‘false nine’, while Maguire was recalled.
Both bosses were regarding this as a big boys’ match for players well-versed in Premier League intensity.
Of the starting line-ups, only keepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Senne Lammens were not established English top-flight performers.
It was United’s 100th visit to Anfield – and they failed to score in seven of their previous nine.
The Kopites were their usual understated and lovable selves, unfurling banners reading ‘Imagine Being Us’ and ‘Scousers Rule This Country Like We’ve Always Done Before’.
But it didn’t take long before they were brought down a peg or two – United scoring in front of them after just a minute of play.
Mbeumo first made an aerial challenge against Van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister, who went down after an elbow from his own captain.
Bruno Fernandes located Amad Diallo, who angled a pass for Mbeumo.
The Cameroonian left Van Dijk trailing, slipping between the Dutchman and Ibrahima Konate to fire home, with Mamardshvili found wanting.
Liverpool whined about Mac Allister’s head injury and during treatment Argentinian was fitted with a protective swimming cap.
Diallo was fortunate to get away with a penalty shout after a cross from Cody Gakpo struck his outstretched arm at close range.
And soon Gakpo was striking the inside of the post after a sweeping Liverpool counter-attack and Anfield was howling.
But United were unwilling to sit back on their lead. Diallo was again pushing back the suspect Milos Kerkez and cutting back for Fernandes to strike the outside of the post.
United’s 3-4-3 shape, so controversial, was working wonders for a change and Liverpool were struggling to cope defensively.
Next, Mbuemo and Cunha combined, Mamardashvili flapped and Mason Mount was unable to capitalise on his fumble with a meaningful finish.
Kerkez made a hash of an attempted clearance, Liverpool’s Georgian keeper dived in to deny Mbeumo and then made a decent save from a stinging Mount shot.
Isak then dragged a shot wide, Gakpo saw a deflected cross cannon off the far post and from a probing Konate through-ball, Isak outpaced United’s defence only for Lammens to stick out his right boot and save the Swede’s shot.
“Are you Schmeichel in disguise?” sang the travelling United fans – and the big Dane in the press box smiled.
After the break, astonishingly, Gakpo hit the woodwork for a third time cutting past Luke Shaw and curling a fierce shot off the far post.
Ryan Gravenberch twisted an ankle as he fell in a challenge with Mbeumo and the Dutchman was soon withdrawn along with Mac Allister and Conor Bradley as Slot sent on Ekitike, Wirtz and Curtis Jones.
That meant a 4-2-4, with Wirtz as a central midfielder and Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, as a promiscuous Slot went all fur coat and no knickers.
Amorim had sent on his authentic target man Sesko, along with Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte.
Liverpool hurled bodies forward but when Salah had the time and space to chest down at the back post, he shot wide from close range. The Egyptian is not himself.
Isak was soon withdrawn in favour of Federico Chiesa.
Finally, Gakpo’s bad luck in front of goal improved as Wirtz fed Chiesa who centred low for the Dutchman to poke home in the 77th minute.
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But parity last only five minutes – Liverpool couldn’t fully clear a corner and Fernandes sent over a cushioned volley of a cross to the back post where Maguire nutted home.
Jeremie Fromping arrived and centred to the back post, where Gakpo missed a close-range sitter of a header – and United clung on.
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