Mainoo the hero as Man Utd resist Liverpool fightback to grab Champions League place

[p]In a game that was always likely to have huge ramifications in the top-four race, a front-footed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]United[/a] start yielded an early goal.[/p][p][b]There was an element of fortune to it as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matheus-cunha/bq5QzRdb/"]Matheus Cunha[/a] needed two bites and the cherry to see a deflected left-footed strike nestle in the corner, but it was exactly the reward the hosts’ start deserved.[/b][/p][image alt="Key stats" id="dc7d5487-6499-4e61-a664-b938e4ad979c" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="c8f24387-aedc-4a83-a0c4-d7c88e2d8473" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b]Their endeavours bore yet more fruits before the first half was even 15 minutes old, as after first being denied by a save from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/woodman-frederick/lz3Id13R/"]Freddie Woodman[/a] from point-blank range, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sesko-benjamin/QDozP4IN/"]Benjamin Sesko[/a] was in the right place at the right time from the recycled cross, which saw Woodman parry [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-bruno/GYvAMDm2/"]Bruno Fernandes[/a]’ header against him, and the ball trickled over the line.[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gakpo-cody/pWyuBud0/"]Cody Gakpo[/a] came close to halving the deficit when he curled an effort inches wide with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lammens-senne/UFssg7X4/"]Senne Lammens[/a] beaten, but United were undeterred by that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] pot-shot and came close to adding a third when Fernandes’ half-volley whistled just the wrong side of the post.[/p][p]Darren England’s half-time whistle was well received by Liverpool, who will have appreciated the time to regroup and reset after a sub-standard half in which they were perhaps lucky to end just two goals down, even if [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gravenberch-ryan/Y5aFd8V4/"]Ryan Gravenberch[/a] did manage to at least test Lammens in the dying moments.[/p][embed guid="1f376bf1-81df-4aaf-a544-a4f27fa04724" url="https://x.com/ManUtd/status/2050975957096226842?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/slot-arne/lnG1OUjk/"]Arne Slot[/a]’s men couldn’t have been much worse in the second half, and they got off to the perfect start when half-time substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/traore-amad/I5Rhq1WL/"]Amad Diallo[/a] gifted possession to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/szoboszlai-dominik/dERKtqoo/"]Dominik Szoboszlai[/a] in the middle of the pitch, and the Hungarian carried the ball half the length of the Old Trafford turf and coolly slotted into the bottom corner.[/b][/p][p][b]Liverpool completed an unthinkable turnaround 10 minutes into the second half, although it was again down to an individual error from United as Lammens’ loose pass was pounced upon by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mac-allister-alexis/fDPhMB8M/"]Alexis Mac Allister[/a] before Szoboszlai teed up Gakpo to tap into an empty net.[/b][/p][p]United looked down and out at that point, but they rallied in the closing stages and managed to hit the front once more.[/p][image alt="Match momentum" id="578c184b-9085-46c9-b8da-f505ca31cb65" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="77042a33-bec9-46a2-a332-c6617adb0b6e" original-width="1920" original-height="1080" /][p][b]Liverpool could only half clear [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shaw-luke/88iLXV0O/"]Luke Shaw[/a]’s cross, and Kobbie Mainoo strode onto Mac Allister’s weak clearance on the edge of the area to sweep the ball into the bottom corner in front of a delirious Stretford End.[/b][/p][p]Gakpo tested Lammens as Liverpool pushed for a late equaliser, but they ultimately came up short in that quest, as United held on to secure a top-five finish in style - the ultimate way for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/carrick-michael/phM8NElP/"]Michael Carrick[/a] to stake his claim for the permanent job.[/p][p]Defeat for Liverpool likely won’t be catastrophic to their top-five push, given their six-point cushion with three games remaining.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mainoo-kobbie/nBy3DbC3/"]Kobbie Mainoo[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/liverpool-lId4TMwf/manchester-utd-ppjDR086/?mid=zRIM7cR1"]Catch up on all the match stats with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]