Champions League nights and Cristiano Ronaldo. There is hardly any better combination in football. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner literally rose head and shoulders above the rest to save United’s bacon in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Atalanta BC in midweek.
However, as memorable as their night at Old Trafford was, United’s journey to the King Power last weekend to face Leicester City was anything but, as Patson Daka, Youri Tielemans, Jamie Vardy and Caglar Soyuncu condemned the Red Devils to their second defeat from three Premier League outings.
The pressure continues to pile on the shoulders of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who is said to retain the faith of the Red Devils board for the time being, but such struggles after welcoming Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to the club have left more questions needing to be answered.
With only one point from the last nine on offer in the Premier League, sixth-placed United are five points adrift of leaders Chelsea and could very well drop further down the rankings depending on what transpires before the Reds pay a visit to the Theatre of Dreams.
Not since October 2019 have Man United gone four games without a win in the top flight, but the Red Devils only have two victories to boast from their last seven top-flight encounters at Old Trafford, where Liverpool will aim to condemn them to a 10th home clash without a clean sheet in the Premier League.
First Manchester City, then Watford, then Atletico Madrid’s defence were powerless to stop Mohamed Salah with the ball glued to his feet, as the Egyptian wing king continued to stake his claim as the best in the world with yet another stunning solo effort at the Wanda Metropolitano – although James Milner’s deflection was a significant help.
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Before running out 3-2 winners in the Spanish capital, Liverpool gave Claudio Ranieri a harsh welcome back to life in the Premier League with a five-star performance against Watford, as Roberto Firmino took home the match ball while Sadio Mane also got in on the act at Vicarage Road.
Still unbeaten in all competitions since the season commenced, second-placed Liverpool are one point behind leaders Chelsea at the time of writing and are the only team in the top flight without a single defeat to show from their opening eight matches.
Tuesday’s success over Atletico also marked the ninth game in a row that Klopp’s side have chalked up at least two goals – with the Salah-Firmino-Mane triumvirate proving just as effective as it was four years ago – and the Reds have won nine and drawn two of their last 11 away matches in the division since a 3-1 defeat to Leicester City back in February
