Opinion

Manchester United have last laugh over West Ham as £19m star lights up 2-2 Liverpool thriller

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Any West Ham United fans watching the Liverpool vs Manchester United clash on Sunday were treated to a masterclass from one player in particular.

As a West Ham fan, it actually angered me that one Manchester United player performed his specific role with such proficiency against Liverpool.

It was a thrilling game at Anfield.

The contest ended in a 2-2 draw as Ruben Amorim finally got a tune out of his ailing squad of players.

Despite the Portuguese’s struggles at Old Trafford so far, it still pains me that the Hammers didn’t push the boat out to bring him to the London Stadium.

West Ham had a genuine chance to appoint Amorim, but he was forced to apologise to the Sporting fans in the end, after meeting with Hammers officials midway through a title race.

The Hammers eventually opted for Julen Lopetegui, and the rest is history.

Manchester United Training Session
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Man United had the last laugh by getting Amorim, and now it looks like they had a big win regarding one specific summer transfer as well.

Manchester United have last laugh after Aaron Wan-Bissaka deal

Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined West Ham from Man United in the summer transfer window for around £15 million.

At the time, that fee seemed like an unbelievably good one for the Hammers.

And I still think it was a pretty good deal. However, Man United are the clear winners in my opinion.

Despite Wan-Bissaka’s incredible tackling ability, he has been caught out time and time again high up the pitch this season.

Now, the worst bit about that is how he nonchalantly jogs back into position, rather than busting a gut to make up the ground.

Julen Lopetegui is partly at fault for the Hammers not getting the best out of the 27-year-old full-back.

The Spaniard is playing him in a far too advanced position and let’s not forget, one of the best right-backs in the Premier League has played at left-back for us quite regularly this season!

That’s still no excuse though.

Wan-Bissaka should possess the athleticism and hunger to fulfil the wing-back duties being demanded of him by Lopetegui.

Crystal Palace v Manchester United - Premier League
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

The former Manchester United full-back was given a real lesson regarding how to play that role perfectly during the 2-2 thriller at Anfield.

Diogo Dalot lights up Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United thriller

Manchester United signed Diogo Dalot from Porto in 2018 for around £19 million (BBC).

When he moved to Old Trafford, he was dubbed the “best young full-back in Europe”.

However, he hasn’t quite hit the heights that were expected of him with Man United.

During the Red Devils’ thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday though, Dalot showed us all what he’s all about.

He made three tackles and six clearances, whipped in four dangerous crosses and had two shots on goal (Who Scored).

However, it was his all-round performance that really caught the eye – not just his impressive statistics.

Dalot showed incredible energy and stamina all game long, and got up and down Man United’s left-hand flank to great effect.

He dealt with Mohamed Salah extremely well and caused Trent Alexander-Arnold all sorts of problems going forward.

The 25-year-old produced an absolute masterclass in the wing-back role, and it was actually concerning to see for me.

Whilst Wan-Bissaka started off his Hammers career in fine fashion, he’s definitely gone off the boil in recent weeks, maybe even months.

When we signed him, £15 million seemed like an unbelievable steal.

However, after Dalot’s sensational performance for Manchester United against Liverpool on Sunday, it’s easy to see why they allowed Wan-Bissaka to leave Old Trafford for that fee.