Harry Maguire was Manchester United’s unlikely hero as his late header earned a famous 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, ending almost a decade of frustration and deepening Arne Slot’s growing crisis.
For Liverpool, it was a nightmare that simply will not end. Four straight defeats now, and this one hurts most of all. They thought they had finally snapped the streak when Cody Gakpo bundled home from close range with 12 minutes to play, but United refused to fold. Six minutes from time, Maguire rose highest to nod beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili and send the away fans into raptures.
United had landed the first blow inside two minutes, though the opener came wrapped in controversy. Alexis Mac Allister lay stricken on the turf after taking an accidental elbow from Virgil van Dijk, but referee Michael Oliver waved play on. Bryan Mbeumo seized his chance, sweeping the ball past Mamardashvili, who was deputising for the injured Alisson.
From then on, it was chaos. End-to-end football, chances galore, and both sets of supporters barely able to breathe. Bruno Fernandes wasted a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 when he fired wide with the goal at his mercy, while Gakpo struck the woodwork three times before finally finding the net. Even then, his luck ran out again deep into stoppage time, heading wide from close range as Anfield groaned in disbelief.
United’s Belgian keeper Senne Lammens produced a key save from Alexander Isak when the Liverpool forward raced clear, while Maguire turned into a one-man wall at the back. When it mattered most, the England defender stepped up at the other end too, meeting Fernandes’ pinpoint volleyed cross to seal United’s first win at Anfield since January 2016.
For Liverpool, the questions are piling up. The champions have spent nearly half a billion pounds strengthening their squad, yet look a shadow of the side that swept to the Premier League title last season. The once-feared Anfield roar is turning into frustration, with fans venting anger as another lead slipped away.
Slot’s men were unlucky at times, yes, but they looked ponderous and short of spark. The sight of Gakpo’s last header drifting wide summed up their evening. What was supposed to be a brief stumble is now starting to feel like something far worse.
As for Maguire, he has silenced his critics again. Written off, offered to West Ham, and left out at the start of the season, he has refused to crumble. Amorim backed him for his aerial power, and he delivered in the grandest of arenas. It was a goal forged in grit and belief, qualities that define Maguire and may just reignite United’s season.