Erik Ten Hag, who has led Manchester United to a perfect start under his leadership, said he was “satisfied” on Tuesday but insisted he wouldn’t be getting too carried away following a 4-0 thrashing of archrivals Liverpool in a preseason friendly in Thailand.
At Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium, United made a strong start against an unfamiliar Liverpool lineup, cruising to a 3-0 halftime lead thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho, Fred, and Anthony Martial, despite being without the uneasy Cristiano Ronaldo, who was unable to travel due to family obligations.
Throughout the entire 90 minutes, both coaches made numerous substitutions, and Jurgen Klopp’s stronger Liverpool lineup from the second half controlled possession before Facundo Pellistri scored United’s fourth goal on the break 14 minutes from time.
It provided Ten Hag and his new team with a spirit-boosting victory in their first exhibition game prior to the start of the new Premier League season next month.
Dutchman Ten Hag, who took over at Old Trafford less than two months ago, declared “I am satisfied today.”
“We know we are just getting started, but it was a team with great spirit.
“We created a lot, but we made some mistakes in the press and gave up some chances.”
Sancho opened the scoring in the 12th minute, slotting home to take advantage of a sloppy clearance from Isaac Mabaya. Liverpool was unlucky not to score after hitting the woodwork three times.
Fred’s quick, calculated chip over Allison, Liverpool’s blind goalie
Following another lapse in concentration from the Liverpool defence that gave the striker a clear run at goal, it only took the game’s most valuable player, Anthony Martial, three more minutes to make it 3-0 with a beautiful finish over Allison.
“For us, the game started a little early. But I did see some positive things,” remarked Klopp. “The preseason has only just begun.
“Everything is a learning process, and we are just getting started.”
Following more substitutions, Liverpool added skill and experience in the form of Virgil van Dijk at the back and Mohamed Salah up front.
large-scale signing Darwin Nunez, who was acquired from Benfica for nearly 100 million euros, played for the final 30 minutes, almost managing to open his account.
The energetic Salah attempted to score with a trademark left-footed shot four minutes from time, but it deflected off the post, and Nunez missed the rebound when it would have been simpler to score. After a fluid counterattack, Pellistri had already scored the fourth by that point.
