Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes dribbles during the English Premier League match against Nottingham Forest
| Photo Credit: AP

Steadying influence: Carrick has brought with him a clarity of purpose at United that had been conspicuously absent.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in Manchester, England, on May 17, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scores his side’s second goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and and Arsenal, in Manchester, England, on April 19, 2026
| Photo Credit: AP

Luis Diaz of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC at Old Trafford on September 01, 2024 in Manchester, England.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Two goals from Luis Diaz and one from Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool stroll to a 3-0 victory at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s side humbled by their fierce rivals.

Liverpool dominated a United team who could not keep pace with them in the first half, the visitors taking the lead in the 35th minute through a back-post header from Diaz after United midfielder Casemiro had given the ball away.

Casemiro was again at fault for Diaz and Liverpool’s second, again supplied by Mohamed Salah, with the Colombia international sweeping home three minutes before the break, sending United supporters off for their halftime refreshments early.

With United on the ropes, Liverpool smelled blood after the break, Salah adding a third 11 minutes into the second half, but the visitors settled for three as they maintained their 100% record this season under new coach Arne Slot.

“The goals are always self-inflicted,” United captain Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports. “You need to commit a mistake to give them the goal. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at everyone. that won’t help us now.

“When you concede a goal you can’t just point at one mistake. We don’t have to look at the past. We just have to make it different. We lost the game, congratulations to Liverpool, they were more clinical. I don’t look at the stats but the game was tight.”

Concern for United

After a positive summer in the transfer market and fresh faces in the boardroom, last week’s last-gasp defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion gave United supporters a stark reminder of the improvements still needed on the pitch.

Sunday’s visit of a Liverpool side who had lost just one of their previous 12 Premier League meetings with United will have caused a great deal of concern pre-match.

Those more pessimistic fans were fearing the worst as Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to have fired Liverpool into an early lead at Old Trafford, only for VAR to step in and save the hosts, adjudging Salah to be offside earlier in the move.

United settled into the contest without troubling Liverpool down the other end of the pitch, allowing the visitors to pick their moments when they came.

Casemiro’s mistakes

Casemiro’s wayward pass ensured the Slot’s side did not have to try too hard to unlock their rivals, Diaz applying the finishing touch to get Liverpool up and running.

Diaz’s third of the season was another fine finish, but another Casemiro will want to forget. The flying Liverpool forward has now scored more Premier League goals against United than any other opponent.

Yet another mistake in midfield, this time from Kobbie Mainoo, was ruthlessly punished by Salah in the second half, the Egyptian cementing his pace as the highest-scoring opposition player at Old Trafford in Premier League history — seven strikes.

The visitors thereafter cruised to a victory that means Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first meeting with United since Bob Paisley in November 1975, and just the second to do so away from home after George Kay in November 1936.

My last season at Liverpool: Salah

While other Liverpool players celebrated their resounding success, Salah stole the headlines with his post-match thoughts.

“I had a good summer, a long time to stay with myself and think positively a bit, this is my last year with the club and I want to enjoy it,” the 32-year-old told Sky Sports.

“I feel I am free to play football — we will see what happens next year. Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, it is up to the club.”

When asked about Salah, Arne Slot responded: “There is a lot of ifs, but at this moment he is one of ours and I am really happy with him,” he said.

“I don’t talk about contracts. He was impressive, like the first two games but if you talk about an individual, you don’t do justice to the other ones.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after he scores his side’s second goal during the English Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Liverpool at Portman Road stadium in Ipswich, England, on August 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah allowed new Liverpool coach Arne Slot to get off to a 2-0 winning start at newly-promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.

Ipswich, cheered on by new minority shareholder and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from the Portman Road stands, went toe-to-toe with Liverpool in the first half but failed to take their chances when they presented themselves.

Slot’s new side improved markedly after the break, taking the lead on the hour mark through Jota, before a fine move was finished off by Egyptian forward Salah five minutes later to effectively kill off the Ipswich challenge.

Liverpool had a host of chances to make the result even more emphatic, but two goals were enough to navigate Liverpool and Slot past a tricky first game of the campaign.

“Hopefully I keep going like this for the whole season,” Salah told TNT Sports. “I always try to help the team all the time, I’m always happy to score goals or assist.

“It’s quite different for all of us (playing under Slot), we need to adapt. We just need to know his way of playing and enjoy the football. We don’t need to put more pressure on him, we just need to play football and enjoy our games.”

In January, Juergen Klopp shocked the world when he announced he would step down as Liverpool manager at the end of last season, with the German saying his goodbyes to an emotional Anfield on the final day of the campaign.

The man with the formidable task of replacing Klopp, who won a Champions League and ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a league title during his time in England, is former Feyenoord boss Slot.

A quiet pre-season, with Liverpool yet to sign a single player during the close-season transfer window while their rivals have been splashing the cash, had some supporters worried ahead of the new campaign.

Their side’s first-half performance in the Suffolk sunshine, where the visitors could not muster a single shot on target, added to those concerns.

Slot’s side clicked into gear after the break, however, carving open their opponents with two fine goals, the first finished off by Jota after a pinpoint Trent Alexander-Arnold pass set Salah free before he squared for the Portuguese.

With Ipswich still regrouping, Salah, in his 350th appearance for the club in all competitions, netted superbly after being played in by Dominik Szoboszlai to seal the victory.

The 32-year-old now has more goals in the opening rounds of Premier League seasons than anyone else, and he looks set to play a major part in another Liverpool title tilt this term.

Players of Manchester City celebrate with the FA Community Shield Trophy following their team’s victory in the penalty shootout during the 2024 FA Community Shield match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

A look at some of the big talking points heading into the new Premier League season, which starts on Friday when Manchester United hosts Fulham:

Stopping City

Since 2017, only one team — Liverpool, in 2020 — has stopped Manchester City winning the title. Can anyone stop Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut capturing a record-extending fifth straight title in what could be a tumultuous season for the champions? Arsenal took City all the way last season, having collapsed late the year before, and looks to be the best equipped to win what would be its first title since 2004. Otherwise, only Liverpool seems capable of producing the consistency to finish ahead of City — and that is a big ask for Arne Slot in his first season in charge since replacing Jurgen Klopp as manager. Manchester United and Chelsea should improve after more heavy spending in the offseason, but they are unlikely to deliver a sustained push for the title.

Improved VAR?

It will be the sixth season of video reviews in England’s top division — and it still hasn’t prevented regular flashpoints popping up, much to the frustration of players, managers and fans alike. New for this season is an account on X, formerly Twitter, dedicated to offering live refereeing and VAR clarifications and explainers from all matches. Semi-automated offside technology will also be in use for the first time, though not until a few months into the season. The Premier League says the number of correct decisions in matches has climbed to 96%, up from 82% before video reviews were brought in.

Goals, Goal, Goals

Premier League teams will do well to top the record 1,246 goals scored last season, which was a staggering 162 more than the previous most for a single campaign. It worked out at 3.28 goals per match — never before had it exceeded 2.85. Increased amounts of stoppage time, more adventurous managers and VAR interventions were credited as some of the reasons behind the soaring numbers of goals. Will it continue this season?

Long Season

For some, this could be the longest ever club season. Take the players at Manchester City, who have just started the season by winning the Community Shield on Saturday and might not finish it until the final of FIFA’s expanded and revamped Club World Cup, scheduled for July 13 next year in the United States. Make that an 11-month season for City and Chelsea, the other Premier League team involved in the Club World Cup. City manager Pep Guardiola has already gone public with his concerns that there is too much soccer on the calendar, with the Champions League also expanding for this season. Expect talk of burnout and the threatened legal action by soccer leagues and player unions against FIFA to be a constant issue throughout the season.

More Points Deductions?

Everton and Nottingham Forest were hit with points deductions last season for overspending, forcing all the clubs in the league to take a closer look at their finances to ensure compliance with the competition’s regulations that are being more strictly applied. Leicester, one of the three promoted teams, is facing a points deduction for breaching spending rules during their previous stay in the Premier League but have others learned their lesson? Judging by some of the creative transfer activity in the last weeks of June and the lack of blockbuster signings so far in the summer window, teams appear to be more aware of what it takes to comply.

Farewells

Pep Guardiola is heading into his ninth year at Manchester City and he will have to decide at some point this season whether his stay at the club will extend to a decade. Similarly, this might mark Kevin De Bruyne’s final season at City — enjoy him while you can — while Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in the final years of their contracts at Anfield. Then there’s Everton, which is preparing for its last season playing at Goodison Park, its storied home since 1892, before moving to a new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock that has cost a reported 760 million pounds ($975 million).

File picture of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag holding the FA Cup trophy after his side defeated Manchester City in the final on May 25, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Erik ten Hag has signed a new contract with Manchester United to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2026, the Premier League club said on Thursday as the Dutchman gets another chance to restore the record 20-times champions to former glories.

There had been speculation he would be sacked after United ended eighth last season — their lowest ever finish in the Premier League — and with British billionaire and INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe taking charge of football operations.

A shock victory over champions Manchester City in the FA Cup final, however, earned the 54-year-old Ten Hag a lifeline,

“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined,” he said in a statement.

“We must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are strongly committed to making that journey together.”

Ten Hag’s contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season but denying Manchester City a domestic double and qualifying for the Europa League earned him another chance.

“With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football,” the club’s Sporting Director Dan Ashworth said in a statement.

“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas of improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing at the top level; now they have to do it more consistently.”

Despite winning two trophies, results and performances have fallen away dramatically despite more than 400 million pounds being spent on new players since Ten Hag took charge.

United struggled early in his first season, but Ten Hag instilled a sense of togetherness that had been missing since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

They enjoyed a nine-match winning run in all competitions, lifting the League Cup and finishing third in the Premier League.

The second season was much worse but United’s fan base largely stayed loyal to Ten Hag and sung his name loudly at Wembley in the Cup final as their team produced the best performance of his spell in charge.

File picture of Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has left the Premier League club
| Photo Credit: AP

Mauricio Pochettino has left his job as Chelsea manager by mutual consent after one season in charge, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season,” sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a statement.

“He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career.”

Pochettino joined Chelsea ahead of the 2023-24 season when he replaced interim manager Frank Lampard as the club’s new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital looked to freshen things up at Stamford Bridge after finishing 12th in the previous campaign.

Although Chelsea started the season poorly and found themselves in the bottom half of the standings despite spending more than any club in Europe, Pochettino managed to guide the London club to sixth in the Premier League standings.

Speculation had been rife that the former Paris St Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss would be gone after just one year in charge but Pochettino remained tight-lipped about his future when asked after their final game of the season on Sunday.

“Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history,” Pochettino said on Tuesday.

“The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”