Manchester United versus Liverpool. Football matches don't get that much bigger than that. Whilst only a pre-season friendly, Erik ten Hag facing one of United's biggest nemeses in his first match in charge of the club was to be some introduction. And, adding to that, it was to be played in front of a near sell-out crowd in Thailand at Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium.
Ahead of the match, Ten Hag claimed that he was by no means going to take United's pre-season campaign easily, vowing to treat matches as though they were competitive. Judging by the starting side that he deployed, which, despite no new additions, was as strong as possible given the players at his disposal, he was a man of his word and wanted to make a statement of intent.
The attacking areas attracted the most immediate interest, with Bruno Fernandes lining up just behind Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in a 4-2-3-1 system. Sancho started on the right-hand side, which was the position that he was initially purchased to feature in; Rashford shifted back to his natural left flank, with Martial through the middle having returned from his loan spell at Sevilla. From the outset, the quartet were causing problems for Liverpool.
The forward three were particularly alert to counter attacking opportunities given the openness of the game, acting as the head of a number of players that pushed forward at times. Ten Hag's intentions to create overloads in attack were clear.
The full-backs often joined the attack and worked with the wingers, with movement and runs galore from those in wide areas contributing to disjointing of the Liverpool defence. Diogo Dalot struck the post late in the first half after having made a run into the box, with the full-backs producing a number of decoy runs too.
The efficiency of the front three, however, was majorly as a result of their fluidity. Each of them are adept, to an extent, across each of the attacking positions, with such multi-functionality lending itself to positional interchanges that were apparent against Liverpool. This was particularly evident as Sancho gave United the lead, capitalising on a poor clearance subsequent to a composed Fernandes cross, finishing from the left corner of the penalty area.
Fernandes proved an important figure in contributing to the unlocking of the attack, operating a talismanic role more like that from his opening year or so at United. There was a less erratic, calmer aura to him, with greater discipline in a more regimented side with Ten Hag in charge. He possessed an authority sometimes lost last season, very much acting as the team's focal point by orchestrating attacking phases.
On the whole, the side appeared more on the same wavelength, which was especially the case amongst the front three - refreshing after a season of frequent incoherence. There was some free-flowing link-up play, with a clear sharpness leading to chance creation, which is encouraging regardless of the odd instance of end product lacking. No doubt, lapses will diminish as more playing time is gained across pre-season.
Improved levels of cohesion were visible for United's second goal, stemming from a technically impressive, quick passing phase. The passage broke down on the edge of the box, but Fred was waiting opportunely in the vicinity to chip in some style above a stranded Alisson (with his weaker foot, too).
There appears to be something about Brazilian internationals scoring wonder goals for United in pre-season.
There was a certain newfound, or at least re-found, purpose about United, whether it was through run-making or intent expressed through the performance's forward-thinking nature. This purpose was exemplified by Martial very promptly after Fred's goal, with the returning Frenchman showing the desire that many have cried out for when forcing a defensive error by pressing to win possession of the ball. From there, he produced a driving run towards Alisson and dinked him with aplomb.
The sense was certainly one that Martial was very much proving a point with Cristiano Ronaldo's future at the club in doubt, embodying the wholesale eagerness to impress. His dynamism was at a level that Ronaldo never offered in abundance last season, and that was combined with an attitude more driven than often seen. Aside from his goal, a key moment involving Martial was when he dropped deeper to a position outside the box to link the play ahead of Fernandes delivering the cross which led to Sancho's goal.
All in all, Martial looked transformed. In training photos, he has looked upbeat, with his delight equal when he picked up the man of the match award post-match against Liverpool. Footage has also suggested a connection with Ten Hag, who clearly sees potential in Martial.
As shown for his goal, Martial and his fellow attackers showed the required pressing from the front. The ball was won high up the pitch on other occasions too, with a high intensity apparent on a consistent basis throughout. The players were wholly compliant with Ten Hag's demands of a near-constant press and persistent hard work. There were even times that the wingers noticeably made an effort to track back and aid the defence, which is a stark contrast to the most-part of last term.
The press was still imperfect, mind. Sometimes it was bypassed, which left a liability to be counter attacked, leaving the defence exposed at times. Though this did present the level of commitment (albeit slight over-commitment) to pressing that Ten Hag insists on, which often hasn't been the case with United. After the conclusion of the match, Ten Hag did point towards "mistakes" amidst a vast count of positives. Structural refinement is needed in some areas, thus it is a good job that there is an entire pre-season ahead to focus on fine-tuning.
In addition to the pressing volume, Ten Hag's hallmarks were on display in a number of other ways. The adopted front foot approach was evidenced by a high defensive line. Meanwhile, David de Gea had a visibly improved start position, coming off his line more often than he did during most matches last season; there were also signs that technical developments are in the works for him, with his distribution, in general, more successful.
There were cases where full-backs would invert as well as pushing to create overloads - a key feature of Ten Hag's teams. Midfielders were also seen to drop deep towards the defence to pick the ball up to build from the back. United do have the full-backs to operate inverted and more progressive roles, but clearly aren't as suited to the latter concept, hence why Frenkie de Jong would be an ideal addition.
Plenty of what was observable remained apparent even when the 'first choice' starting side was withdrawn at half-time. De Gea was the only player to keep his place after the break, but he was withdrawn slightly later due to a knock (though it seemed very precautionary). The alterations saw Tyrell Malacia make his debut, whilst a number of youngsters were introduced.
One interesting feature into the second period was that Donny van de Beek sometimes switched with Amad and entered more of a centre-forward role. Van de Beek was in a more advanced role than he has ever operated within at United - a duty familiar to him from his days under Ten Hag at Ajax.
After an initially tempo drop as they grew into proceedings, United's second half outfit showed willingness that gave them a presence amidst the inexperience of many on the pitch. Against a Liverpool side that had gradually been made stronger throughout, it was a challenge. But it was a task that they coped with exceptionally.
In midfield, Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal looked settled and assured, using the ball effectively and showing masses of endeavour. The changed attack showed similarly admirable nerve too, encapsulating the collective courage of the side.
Where the majority were expecting Liverpool to dominate and possibly find a way back into the game, United's only idea was to stretch their advantage. Eric Bailly was on top form, and it was his skillful surge from defence that kickstarted the break that resulted in United's fourth goal of the day. Facundo Pellistri, back from a second loan spell with Alaves, picked up the ball in a pocket and carried into space before offloading to Amad; Pellistri re-received the ball inside the box and, for the second pre-season in succession, got his name on the scoresheet.
The interplay was assured from the two young forwards following a punishing counter attack that carved open Liverpool's defence. It has to be flagged that the back line at the time was that which started the Champions League final in May: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
It is testament to Ten Hag's faith in United's younger players that they possessed such belief that they were not remotely phased by the challenge posed against them.
For Ten Hag, it is a near-perfect start to his time at United. Such a positive opening match was imperative to maintain an evidently buoyant attitude within the squad. No matter the personnel, there was blatant camaraderie, with those on the pitch working completely as a collective. They looked like they were enjoying themselves too, as Ten Hag's entertaining brand of football shone through.
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