Liverpool back in top-four race after commanding win against Manchester United

Manchester United have influenced a lot in the Premier League in the last week with losses to Liverpool and Leicester City. On Thursday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side suffered a 4-2 loss to Liverpool at Old Trafford, boosting their bitter rivals’ chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

The Red Devils’ defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday also ensured that Manchester City were crowned champions without even kicking a ball. Two days on, and Manchester United were involved in a result that could shape the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

𝐁𝐈𝐆. 𝐖𝐈𝐍. ✊GET IN, REDS! 👊 pic.twitter.com/BjcyJXjk7z

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 13, 2021

Reds take their chances at Old Trafford

After the postponement of the fixture between Liverpool and Manchester United, which was originally scheduled for May 2, the game finally took place on Thursday evening.

Despite protests by some Manchester United fans outside the stadium, the security managed to get the players and coaches to safety.

From the line-ups announced by both sides, it was clear that neither team was taking any chances. Solskjaer rested many of his stars during Tuesday’s match against Leicester but named a full-strength team against the Reds.

However, despite taking an early lead through a deflected Bruno Fernandes effort, Liverpool made a strong comeback and ended the first half with a 2-1 lead, thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.

The latter made it 3-1 immediately after the restart following a mix-up between the Manchester United defenders. Marcus Rashford reduced the deficit in the 68th minute but Mohamed Salah killed any hopes of a comeback with a well-taken goal right at the death.

⏮ The last time Brendan Rodgers had beaten Man Utd at Old Trafford? 16th March 2014⏮ The last time Liverpool had beaten Man Utd at Old Trafford? 16th March 2014Both ending their winless streaks this week. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/FbO27naaqX

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) May 13, 2021

Liverpool back in contention for a top-four finish

Klopp’s side were clinical against Manchester United and the win means they are back in contention for a Champions League place. With Chelsea and Leicester City set to meet this weekend, the Reds could move up to third if they win against West Brom and also win their game in hand.

"We are still in the game, in the race. That is all we could have done tonight. It is very intense," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in his post-match conference, as quoted by Goal. "We have to recover quickly and go again. We played a good game and did good enough to win so, obviously, we did a lot of things right tonight."

Liverpool’s three remaining matches are all must-win games. They will only have themselves to blame if they blow away an opportunity to secure Champions League football for next season.