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Jamie Carragher has hit out at another Liverpool star for his part in Brian Mebomo’s opener for Manchester United in their 2-1 win over the Reds after Virgil van Dijk took aim at the comments.
Mbemo scored in the first minute at Anfield And Harry Maguire’s late header sealed all three points for the Red Devils after Cody Gakpo had pulled Arne Slott’s side level.
Carragher labeled Van Dijk a “baby”. After one An unusually poor performance from the Liverpool captainbut he singled out one of his team-mates who was at least partially responsible for their dreadful start to the game, although Ruben Amorim was also hailed for nailing his tactics against the reigning Premier League champions.
Read more: Premier League winners and losers: Amorim, Slott, Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal and more
Analyzing the goal on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher said: “When you talk about teams that play direct football, Arne Slott is mentioned, it’s always seen as a criticism. But Ruben Amorim absolutely highlighted his tactics in that game at Anfield. There’s no doubt about that. It’s the only way they can win games.
“We’re initially going to look at the goal here, in terms of live play. But it’s not just going to be long.
“Let’s remember who he actually picked. He didn’t pick (Benjamin) Cisco, he picked (Mathes) Kona to be under the ball.
“And the really important thing here, when we look at this first challenge, is whether we have Manchester United’s back five, three centre-backs, two wing-backs, wide enough.
“But what’s really important is how tight these players are under the ball here. So it’s not just about togetherness, it’s about picking up the other ball.
“Ruben Amorim’s tactics were absolutely spot on in this game.” 🤝
Jamie Carragher analyzes how Man United were able to nullify Liverpool’s early goals on Sunday 🔎 pic.twitter.com/ishxzcweec
– Sky Sports Premier League (@seaportspl) October 20, 2025
“Another important point is that nobody ever goes after the ball in case of a flick or if Virgil van Dijk misses it.
“So again, I mentioned that Kunha is a little bit deeper than maybe a Cisco. So it was all ‘Maybe we don’t win the first ball, but we pick the second ball here’.”
“And look how tight five Manchester United players are here, and that’s where the goal comes from.
“Harry Maguire won it again, and because of the starting position of these players. Look how tight Mason Mount is, Bruno Fernandes does really well.
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“Now we’ve mentioned Virgil van Dijk, me and Gary (Neville) a lot on commentary, that he’s got to come back quickly, and absolutely about that. No doubt about it. But the guy next to him, (Abrahama) Contet, who’s ever thought of a great game, has got to do the same.
“So when (Imad) Delo was on the ball, Contet is the closest guy to where the ball is first, so he’s 27 yards away. Then we see where Virgil van Dijk is, he’s 30 yards away from him. And then you see Mbemo is there, he’s 31 yards away.
“Now, what I would say is, if I’m in Virgil van Dijk’s or Conte’s position, maybe he’ll beat me to the ball. But they’re two of the fastest centre-backs in the Premier League, and they’ve started with him. And they’ve got to do more. They’ve got to go back and before he gets there.
“And we also see it from a different angle here, which maybe sheds a little more light on Contet — can he get into that position?”
