Roy Keane slammed a “shocking” performance from Manchester United after Erik ten Hag’s side were heavily beaten by Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The visitors pounced on three errors from Manchester United midfielders on their way to a comfortable 3-0 victory as they continued a perfect start to the Premier League season under new boss Arne Slot.
Two of those errors came from veteran Casemiro, who did not re-emerge after the interval as Ten Hag handed a first-team debut to Toby Collyer off the bench.
Manchester United registered just three shots on target in the game and all of them came after they had already fallen three goals behind.
And Keane was deeply unimpressed, claiming his former side “didn’t turn up” for the clash.
“It was far from an even game,” the ex-midfielder said on Sky Sports. “Liverpool were very, very good, and very efficient. They looked sharp going forward, looked strong and fitter.
“You can try and dress it up a little bit, but United were shocking. Every time Liverpool went forward, they looked like they were going to score. Not good. There has been a lot of good PR about Manchester United over the last few months about plans for the stadium, blah blah blah, but in a big game against Liverpool, I’m just really disappointed that Manchester United didn’t turn up.
“I’m always surprised when the game is over after 50 or 60 minutes. I know you can have an off day, but for the game to be over after an hour, it’s hard to accept.”
Having required a late goal from Joshua Zirkzee to beat Fulham in their opening fixture, Manchester United have now suffered back-to-back losses to head into the international break 14th in the table after three matches.
A heavy home defeat and familiar failings will again cause pressure to build on Ten Hag, who was backed by the club this summer despite a mixed campaign last season.
The Dutch manager did not have Manuel Ugarte available with the new recruit registered too late to feature.