Liverpool put on a show in front of a sold-out stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, beating arch-rivals Manchester United after goals from Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas.
It completes a clean sweep for Arne Slot on the three-game tour of the United States after he also defeated Real Betis and Arsenal in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia respectively. The Dutchman heads home with a smile on his face.
He will be reinforced this week by a number of key players, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez who will return to training in the coming days.
As for United, Erik ten Hag is battling a number of issues heading into the new season, just a week before the Community Shield against Manchester City.
Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele discusses Columbia’s talking points here.
Fabio Carvalho needed just ten minutes to open the scoring for Liverpool against Man United
Marcus Rashford had several chances to score an equaliser for United when they were only 1-0 down
Kostas Tsimikas sealed Liverpool’s third win from three games on their pre-season tour
Carvalho lays his claim
Fabio Carvalho is one of many with an uncertain future at Liverpool, having spent last season on loan at RB Leipzig and Hull City. But based on his three games on the US tour, the Portuguese-born star is a sure bet to stay.
The 21-year-old reportedly wants to stay at Anfield and has held talks with new manager Slot over his best position. Carvalho believes he is best suited to the No.10 role, but Slot has told him he is better suited as a winger.
He has played all three friendlies in the States on the left and has put in three solid performances, scoring in both Rivals in Red series against Arsenal and Manchester United. He keeps possession well and gets into dangerous areas.
There is a lot of interest in Carvalho for a permanent move this summer, with Premier League clubs and clubs on the continent keeping a close eye on developments. But after this successful tour, there is no reason why he cannot fit into Slot’s plans.
Carvalho has now scored two goals in as many games, with which he hopes to impress coach Arne Slot
United kids are totally okay
Two young players started this game for United and both showed decent performances. For Ten Hag it is a reason to use them as part of his plans for the first team this season. Harry Amass and Toby Collyer played well.
Amass has been one of the Red Devils’ biggest success stories during their tour of America and the young left-back could well be a strong candidate to start in next weekend’s Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley.
The left-back, 17, joined United from Watford last summer after spending some time scouting. He is a powerful, pacey defender who is calm in possession and has mature positioning despite his lack of experience at the top level.
Amass was given the biggest test of his young career in this friendly as he faced the formidable force of Mohamed Salah. It would be unfair to criticise the youngster for losing a few duels to Salah, as many experienced left-backs have done the same.
But overall he has put in a good shift. Elsewhere Collyer has been a constant source of energy in midfield and has covered a lot of ground. He may have some improvement in his off-the-ball work, but the 20-year-old is another promising prospect.
Ethan Wheatley also came. He said last week: ‘The club, its history is of bringing through loads of youth players. And people like Kobbie (Mainoo), who was with us less than a year ago and broke into the first team, inspire us and motivate us. The path is there.’
Toby Collyer started the game well, going into Liverpool’s defence on several occasions
Harry Amass (left) had another solid game at left back for Erik ten Hag’s Man United
Better season for Gravenberch?
Ryan Gravenberch had a first year in England that was patchy and never managed to secure a place in the starting line-up, certainly not for big games. But the Dutchman could flourish under compatriot Slot.
This was his first outing of the new era and he put in a pleasing shift in a deeper midfield role, constantly wanting the ball, driving forward and pressing with an intensity that belied his lack of fitness.
Gravenberch was coached by Johnny Heitinga at Ajax and he would have been delighted if the former Everton defender had been appointed to Slot’s backroom team. One of Heitinga’s roles is to provide individual sessions for players.
It would be a surprise if Gravenberch, 22, is not on the long list of players that Slot and his coaching staff have identified for improvement. The midfielder certainly has room to improve and could be one to watch this season, especially since he seems to fit well into Slot’s system.
Ryan Gravenberch (left) started in a deeper role than he previously played under Jurgen Klopp
The problems of Ten Hag no. 9
There was one glaring problem for United here and that was a slow and disorganised defence. But another worrying trend was the lack of a No 9, with Jadon Sancho leading the line for much of the game.
Rasmus Hojlund is out for about six weeks due to injury and newcomer Joshua Zirkzee, the Dutchman who joined from Bologna earlier this summer, has not yet played for his new team in the United States.
It left Sancho, a winger by trade, the only striker here from the start. He had a few nice moments but generally felt like a square peg in a round hole and never really looked dangerous.
Young striker Wheatley is of course an option for Ten Hag and he has worked closely with new coach Ruud van Nistelrooy. ‘He was probably one of the best strikers we’ve had at the club, as soon as he came I tried to get tips from him,’ he said this week.
However, one cannot help but feel that United are not good enough in attack in the new season.
Jadon Sancho started up front for United but struggled to really impact the game
Columbia benefits from England’s greatest rivalry
The city of Columbia, South Carolina, is worlds away from the bright lights and vibrancy of Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the teams’ most recent home bases. The 78,000-seat Williams-Brice Stadium could theoretically hold more than half of the city’s 139,000 residents.
Primarily used for college soccer and home to the university team, the Carolina Gamecocks, this was the first time a Premier League team had played here. The fact that England’s two biggest clubs were in the city was a great move for the organisers.
Both clubs wanted to play here because it broke the journey home, with both teams flying back to the North West of England straight after this match. The match also offered a huge financial incentive for the clubs, with tickets selling for huge prices.
Columbia ranked 76th on a Nielsen list of North American cities offering the best marketing opportunities, so this was a leap into the unknown. But the local economy in South Carolina’s capital was poised for a financial boom.
The Williams-Brice Stadium put on a spectacle as England’s two biggest football clubs faced off
Hotels averaged about $60 a night on Thursday and by the weekend that figure had been around $1,000, while Uber drivers and restaurants saw opportunities to raise their prices. It was suggested that people had traveled from all 50 U.S. states to attend the game.
Those supporters must have been worried when a downpour hit the stadium about two hours before kick-off. Lightning flashes were visible almost every minute and the thunder crackled through the city.