What Arne Slot and Trent Alexander-Arnold did at full-time after Liverpool's victory over Manchester United
Liverpool earned a dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Kopites in the corner at Old Trafford would not have cared about being kept in at the full-time. Not a chance. They were revelling in every moment Being asked to leave was probably an inconvenience after the latest Liverpool victory over their bitter foes that will be remembered for years to come.
After losing at the Theatre of Dreams in the 2022-23 campaign and failing to beat United here last season - drawing in the Premier League and then falling to defeat in the FA Cup - the Reds have a familiar feeling of elation again. Only winning a trophy or a major European game may bring more joy to supporters than trouncing their arch-enemy.
United may not be the force they once were, far from it, but piling ignominy on their fierce rivals never becomes dull. Fans will drink it up each time. A 3-0 triumph was nothing less than Liverpool deserved. They were imperious throughout the encounter. In fact, the only thing you can chide Arne Slot’s side with is that the win wasn’t more emphatic. A first-half double from Luis Diaz and a strike from Mo Salah delivered Slot a success in his maiden meeting against United.
Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp failed at his first attempt against United, losing 1-0 in January 2016. He went on to win the fixture only seven times in 21. In fairness, there was a 4-0, 5-0 and a 7-0 in there.
Had Klopp been the incumbent to engineer this victory, his customary fist pumps to the Kopites who made the short jaunt would have been certain. Slot is his own man, though. His celebrations were much more subdued despite his name being serenaded. A few claps and acknowledgements to the travelling fans were as if it was a win over Ipswich or Brentford previously.
However, the players enjoyed this one. No more so than Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was denied an eight-minute goal only because of a VAR review that deemed Salah offside. Alexander-Arnold knows best how much triumphing in this fixture means growing up a boyhood fan. He lifted three fingers for the scoreline before blowing kisses to his fellow Scousers with a beam on his face. He’s been part of the dominant displays against United under Klopp - and now Slot has etched one of his own into the Anfield annals.