Five reasons for Manchester United fans to be positive after beating Liverpool

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Manchester United fans know not to get carried away after beating Liverpool.

The first two games of the season were dreadfully poor, United’s summer business has been scattergun and the Glazers still own the club.

The win over Liverpool could well be the night the Erik ten Hag era caught fire, and it has not been easy for him to get this squad back on track after an awful 2021/22.

But while it does not even come close to solving every problem, the 2-1 against Liverpool provides ample reason for fans to start feeling positive once again…

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Sancho shining

Jadon Sancho opened the scoring against Liverpool and put in one of his best performances in a United shirt.

The composure he showed in front of goal on such a big night was staggering and it could well be a big moment for him.

Ten Hag looks like the kind of manager who can get the best out of him and he looked full of hunger and confidence against Liverpool.

We are still waiting to see the very best of Sancho on a consistent basis, but last night should act as a springboard.

Makings of a new central defensive partnership

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez started together for the first time against Liverpool, with captain Harry Maguire dropped to the bench.

It offered a glimpse of a central defensive partnership which has pace, mobility, passing quality and presence in abundance.

There will be a variety of challenges ahead, but United have been looking for a high-class defensive duo since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic left, and may be getting closer to solving the puzzle.

Potential changing of the guard

Last night saw Erik ten Hag go into the game without plenty of players previous United players have found indispensible.

Maguire’s absence grabbed headlines, and of course Cristiano Ronaldo was left out in favour of the pace of Anthony Elanga.

But Luke Shaw and Fred have been cornerstones of previous United sides, and even Scott McTominay may soon be replaced by Casemiro.

All of a sudden, the squad starts to look like Ten Hag’s and the results were clear for everyone to see last night.

United have signed a specialist defensive midfielder

United have not signed a midfield anchorman since the reign of Jose Mourinho, when he brought Nemanja Matic in from Chelsea.

That has been an area neglected for far too long but the signing of Casemiro finally puts an end to the wait for a specialist in that area.

The McTominay-Fred axis has been a source of frustration for United fans under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

That era may well be over, and Casemiro brings a winning mentality which is needed to add more leadership to the dressing room.

There is still time for signings

There is still work to be done in the transfer market and there is no doubt that United have left it later than they should have done.

But they still have time and the win over Liverpool may make United a more enticing prospect than they were before kick-off on Monday night.

United need to crack on with work in a number of positions – incomings and outgoings – to get the squad to where Ten Hag wants it.

That prospect is tantalising and opens the door to further progress, and it is essential that the momentum is built on against Southampton on Saturday.