Liverpool will try to halt a three-match losing streak in all competitions on Sunday when they host a Manchester United side that finally might be growing in confidence under manager Ruben Amorim.
Liverpool (5-2-0, 15 points) lost their hold on the early Premier League lead after taking to a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea before the international window.
Unlike in the previous Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace, Liverpool bested the Blues in terms of the chances created.
However, for a second consecutive league fixture, manager Arne Slot’s Reds conceded a winner in second-half stoppage time, this time to Chelsea’s Estevao Willian in the sixth additional minute.
That dropped Liverpool a point behind Arsenal entering the weekend and puts even more focus on one of England’s most historic rivalries.
“If you’ve lost three games in a row and you wear the Liverpool shirt, it doesn’t matter who your opponent is, you have to react,” Slot said.
Hugo Ekitike leads Liverpool with three league goals, and Alexander Isak still is seeking his first after his transfer from Newcastle United at the end of the summer transfer window. Isak played all 180 minutes for Sweden during the international break, which may mean Ekitike gets the nod up front on Sunday.
Manchester United (3-3-1, 10 points) went into the break on one of their better stretches under Amorim since he took the reins last November.
The Red Devils earned victories over Chelsea and Sunderland in their last three matches, with a the loss to Brentford in between. Manchester United has yet to win consecutive league matches under Amorim.
Benjamin Sesko has scored his first two EPL goals in his past two games, providing some optimism that Amorim finally has found a reliable option at center forward.
Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe recently gave Amorim a public vote of confidence, saying he believes the Portuguese boss should have three years to prove his project is on the right track.
Amorim said those words match what he has sensed around the club.
“First of all, I can feel it,” he said. “It’s not just that thing that people talk, but I feel it in every day. And, again, sometimes the pressure that I put on the team or on myself is so much bigger than them. I know that it’s going to take awhile, but I don’t want to think like that.”
–Field Level Media
