Manchester United entered Monday night's matchup as a club in shambles, but after handing Liverpool a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford, it is the Reds with a lot of questions to answer.
The loss means that Liverpool falls behind their rivals on the table and it is the first time they have failed to pick up a win in the first three weeks of the EPL season since the 1980s.
Liverpool dominated possession, holding the ball at a 70 per cent clip while outshooting United 17-12, but those stats are of little solace to a Liverpool side that was expected to win handily.
First Half
After both teams spent the first 5 minutes feeling each other out, United had the first chance when Anthony Elanga hit the post. That proved to be a warning shot as the home team took the lead in the 16th minute, thanks to a goal by Jadon Sancho.
Luis Díaz put a shot wide in the 18th minute, but the Red Devils were still dominating play. Liverpool earned their first corner at the half-hour mark, but the attempt went well wide. Liverpool enjoyed more possession for the rest of the half, resulting in a corner in the 40th minute. The chance was nearly put home by James Milner, but the shot was cleared off the line, leaving the tally 1-0 in favour of Manchester United at the half.
Second Half
Liverpool stayed on the front foot in the second half, earning a corner in the 49th minute but the opportunity went begging. United then broke the Liverpool pressure in the 53rd minute as Marcus Rashford made the most of the opportunity to double the Manchester United lead to 2-0. A 65th-minute corner by Mohamed Salah lead to a shot by substitute Fabinho, but the save was made by United goalie David De Gea.
Liverpool kept pushing to pull a goal back and they finally did in the 81st minute. Salah headed home a ball that substitutes Fabio Carvalho had worked into the box. With that goal, Salah notched his 10th career goal vs Manchester United and at the same time moves past Michael Owen for 8th place on the all-time Liverpool scoring list with 159 goals.
Following Salah's landmark goal, the Reds kept searching for a dramatic equalizer that would have rescued a point, but it was not to be, as they fell by the 2-1 final.
Man Of The Match and What's Next
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford deserves the recognition. Not only did he score a second-half goal that proved to be the game-winner, but he also made a menace of himself all game, including visibly frustrating Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk on numerous occasions. Salah also deserves recognition for his historic goal, but Rashford gets the nod due to the winner that might well have saved United's season or at the very least given them bragging rights.
Liverpool now faces a quick turnaround as they take on Bournemouth for a 15:00 BST fixture at Anfield on August 27th.
Liverpool: Allison Becker Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson, James Milner; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz.
Manchester United: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia, McTominay, Eriksen, Sancho, Fernandes, Elanga, Rashford.
MOTM: Marcus Rashford