Eamon Dunphy column: Liverpool are at a different level to ordinary United
United can count themselves lucky that they didn't lose by seven or eight goals. Alexander-Arnold had a strike ruled out by a tight VAR decision and sloppy finishing and some messing by Szoboszlai only stopped Liverpool from running up the score.
Liverpool are in a strange position. Just off top spot in the Premier League, but they have no idea where they are because they've played three ordinary teams.
Ipswich Town, Brentford and Manchester United have given them no kind of a test. Liverpool have been hugely impressive, don't get me wrong, and I like what I've seen from Arne Slot so far.
He clearly knows his stuff and knows what he wants. Virgil van Dijk is stepping into midfield to cut out attacks and looking sharper than he has done in a long time.
Ryan Gravenberch is unrecognisable from the player that was all at sea when he played last season.
In the opener against Ipswich, Jarrell Quansah started alongside van Dijk. Liam Delap caused him problems and he was hauled ashore at half-time.
Slot has that Dutch directness, and he told the media straight why he'd made the move.
He's taken Trent Alexander-Arnold off in all three games, and he looked unhappy when removed against Brentford.
But Slot has a quality right-back champing at the bit in Conor Bradley, and I think he's sussing out Alexander-Arnold.
He would have heard all the stuff about his defensive deficiencies, and he'd have noted that he was targeted by Manchester United in the first half yesterday.
Alexander-Arnold can't get by on the odd Hollywood pass, he has to do the bread and butter stuff too.
There are no hugs from Slot. He isn't Jurgen Klopp. I can see evidence of two fellow Dutchmen in van Dijk and Gravenberch having responded to Slot, Alexander-Arnold needs to do the same.
This game should have been a real test for Liverpool, given the nature of their rivalry with United.
The home side did start strongly, and were on top early on but, once Liverpool went in front, there was only one team in the game.
United can count themselves lucky that they didn't lose by seven or eight goals. Alexander-Arnold had a strike ruled out by a tight VAR decision and sloppy finishing and some messing by Dominik Szoboszlai only stopped Liverpool from running up the score.
I think Liverpool are playing a more aggressive brand of football than under Jurgen Klopp.
There is huge energy and intensity to the way they play, and they are much more secure at the back than they were.
Remember the second half of last season when Liverpool's failure to keep clean sheets came back to scupper their title chances?
There's no sign of that sloppiness now. That's three clean sheets in a row now. Ibrahim Konate was superb yesterday, as was van Dijk, and Alisson Becker was as imperious as ever in goals.
Luis Diaz took his goals brilliantly and what more is there to say about Mohamed Salah?
I really don't think you can compare players from different eras, and Liverpool have had so many greats over the years.
But Salah is definitely right up there with anyone who's played for the club. He is a wonderful footballer.
Liverpool don't have the deepest squad, so keeping players fit will be a challenge for Slot - especially with the insane new format of the Champions League.
As for United, they have a deep squad but could anyone really argue that it's a strong one?
There is nothing more tedious than the hysteria around transfers every summer.
Many terminally online fans seem to want a spate of new arrivals season after season.
So we had a situation last week where Liverpool's owners were being hammered for only signing two players - a goalkeeper who won't arrive for a year, and attacker Federico Chiesa.
In contrast, there were a lot of United fans who were jubilant because they had 'won' the transfer window.
They have very short memories. Since Alex Ferguson stepped down as United manager in 2013, they have the highest net spend in the Premier League - even higher than City and Chelsea.
In most summers, the biggest spenders have been United. A year ago, United started the season with the most expensively assembled squad in the world.
But they finished the season with a minus goal difference. Only an unlikely FA Cup final win - greatly aided by City sleepwalking through it - kept Erik ten Hag in the manager's job.
United decided to back him heavily in the transfer market again. Maybe Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Mathijs de Ligt and Sekou Kone have all arrived.
Ugarte is highly rated, as is Yoro, and de Ligt has his fans too, but how many of these six transfers will be successful? Those who study the market say that, on average, only 50 per cent of signings work out.
With United over the past decade, that figure has been significantly lower.
And I'd be wondering why Bayern Munich and PSG were willing to let Ugarte and de Ligt go.
Ugarte will take Casemiro's place, presumably, and that can't happen quickly enough.
Liverpool fans will be wishing they came up against this version of Casemiro in the 2022 Champions League final.
He ran that game in midfield, and the control he exerted was one of the main reasons why Real Madrid lifted the trophy.
But Casemiro is a pale shadow of the player that he was at Real. Maybe it's just the ageing process - but 32 isn't exactly old.
Look at the sharpness, fitness and exuberance of Mohamed Salah. He's the same age as Casemiro.
I do think that his legs seem to have gone. He just can't get around the pitch like he used to
In contrast, Salah looks as if he's just broken into the Liverpool team and never won anything. His drive and hunger is striking.
Maybe that's the issue with Casemiro. He won it all with Real, it's fair to assume he came to United for the pay day.
He's going through the motions, and you will be filleted in the Premier League against the better teams with that kind of attitude.
Both of Liverpool's first half goals were brilliantly created and finished by Salah and Luis Diaz, respectively.
But, in the build-up to both of them, Liverpool were greatly helped by unforgivable sloppiness from Casemiro.
At the break, ten Hag hooked Casemiro, throwing in a rookie in Toby Collier. We may not see Casemiro - in a big game, especially - again for a long time.
And I wouldn't be surprised if ten Hag's days are numbered too. If they do push him out the exit door, United would have a huge problem in finding a top manager. Why would any top manager want to work with that squad?
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