Kobbie Mainoo struck a priceless winner for Manchester United to fire them back into the Champions League after they had somehow relinquished a commanding two-goal lead against Liverpool in a topsy-turvy affair at Old Trafford.
United were snapping at Liverpool heels immediately after racing out of the blocks - and it took just six minutes for the visitors to be breached. A corner fell to the returning Matheus Cunha on the edge of the area and the Brazilian drove a strike beyond the sprawling Freddie Woodman after seeing his initial effort blocked.
Liverpool's stand-in goalkeeper has performed heroics in recent weeks but his luck was out minutes later as United doubled their lead, albeit not before a VAR check for handball. Woodman was only able to divert a Bruno Fernandes header onto the thigh of the grateful Benjamin Sesko, who bundled the ball home from a couple of yards out.
With United in cruise control, a memorable victory looked all but certain. They inexplicably undone all that good work in just nine second half minutes, though. First, Dominik Szoboszlai arrowed a low strike into the bottom right hand corner of Senne Lammens' goal after United carelessly turned over possession. And then on 56 minutes, Lammens got it horribly wrong when trying to play out from a goal kick, with Cody Gakpo gleefully making the most of a gift-wrapped opportunity to level the game.
But then Mainoo took centre stage, thundering a superb strike beyond Woodman to settle this grudge match in style. Here are Mirror Football's talking points...
The Mainoo Man
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And Mainoo has had to bide his time for the moment that confirmed Manchester United's return to the Champions League in style. After throwing away a two-goal lead, it looked like United would rue a major missed opportunity to inflict misery on their bitter rivals after a disastrous start to the second half. But Mainoo had other ideas. Maligned by Ruben Amorim, the homegrown midfield maestro continues to marvel under Michael Carrick. And this was his sweetest moment yet.
Cunha Spearheads Early Siege
Manchester United made a fast start and got their just rewards when the returning Cunha plundered his ninth Premier League goal of the season. That strike set the tone for the first half with Liverpool practically bystanders for 45 minutes. After spending £200million on a revamp of their attack last summer, United are now reaping the rewards. Cunha has been far more effective than the 13 league goal contributions he has to his name and made an instant impact after missing Monday night's win over Bournemouth with a hip flexor issue. In recent years, Liverpool's front three have tormented United. This time, the show was on the other foot.
Sesko Worry Sours Striker's Day
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United made the call to invest big money in Sesko in the summer. Particularly as they had spent a fair sum on Rasmus Hojlund the previous summer. But the Slovenia international is growing into the famous red shirt. He was a proper nuisance for Liverpool's defence before being withdrawn at the break and, although it wasn't particularly glamorous, he bagged his 11th Premier League goal of the season. Those voices questioning Sesko have quietened significantly throughout the campaign. The hope for United will be that they haven't seen the last of him this term after he was shown limping towards the bench after being replaced by Amad at half-time.
Slot's Men in Unwanted Double
2016 was the last time Manchester United had done the double over Liverpool. At half-time, you'd have said the hosts looked a pretty good bet to inflict that unwanted stat on Arne Slot's men. But they showed character and fight after the break. And at 2-2, they looked the more likely to win it rather than United before Mainoo popped up to end that decade-long run. It's been a challenging second season for Slot and some of the questions being asked of the Dutchman are not without merit. But considering here Liverpool were without Mo Salah, without both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak, Slot and his team were up against it from the start here. In the end, they didn't quite have enough.
Carrick Ticks Off Champions League Goal
Carrick has made a significant impression since stepping into the Old Trafford hotseat; so much so that is now viewed as the frontrunner to become Manchester United's long-term head coach. It has always been the assumption that clinching Champions League qualification would put Carrick in a strong position to continue in his current role. A statement victory over United's biggest rivals would have only enhanced that, according to Roy Keane pre-match. For 45 minutes, that looked like what Carrick could get. The manner in which the game altered after the break was not in the script, but Mainoo's late winner spared United's blushes. In terms of qualifying for the Champions League, it's job done. In terms of Carrick and the Manchester United job, it remains to be seen.
