It has become a damningly common theme that Manchester United are often out-run and, on the whole, out-worked by opposition teams. Against Brentford in only their second Premier League outing of the season, United players collectively ran 13.8 kilometres less than their opposition, also completing 25 less sprints.
Erik ten Hag was quick to acknowledge the lapses in his side's work ethic compared to Thomas Frank's men, lamenting the attitude to the extent that he made his players run the distance covered deficit in an extra training session on their proposed day-off on Sunday - the day after the match.
Sports scientists hated the idea, with recovery understandably viewed as paramount after a match. But Ten Hag seemed insistent that his players should be punished for their exertion (or lack of it) in West London.
And, from the outset against Liverpool on Monday, you could see just why he was so keen to put them through their paces after the match.
United looked vastly different. They flew out of the blocks with energy, with immediate signs that the players were far from willing to endure a repeat of Sunday's gruelling session. The running on display from the instant that the game got underway was relentless, with opposing players and loose balls being chased without fault. And starting in the right spirit ultimately correlated with a strong start.
Liverpool's rhythm was very much disrupted, with a rhythm hardly even allowed to be established full stop. The virtue of playing with intent was really shown, and this resulted in a massive early chance for United.
Scott McTominay showed endeavour to recover possession around the halfway line, subsequently displaying quality to deliver a through ball to Bruno Fernandes. The desire shown by Fernandes matched that of his team-mate, with a committed slide touching the ball into the path of Anthony Elanga, who beat Alisson but struck the post.
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The inclusion of Elanga very much encapsulated Ten Hag's intentions for the game. Pre-match, he detailed: "We know Liverpool are a really good team and you need to press them. You have to do that out of a block and need energy, that is why we went with [Marcus] Rashford, [Jadon] Sancho and Elanga."
It was a statement of authority from the manager to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of the side, especially given that it was Elanga who replaced him rather than the returning Anthony Martial as many expected, meaning Rashford was tasked with playing through the middle. Contrary to Ronaldo, Elanga was a body that would offer the persistent energy that Ten Hag's game-plan required.
From the left flank, Elanga showed another aspect of his skillset in addition to just his will to run and press - there was a clear inclination to pick the ball up and carry it, making himself a nuisance against Trent Alexander-Arnold. He even forced a foul from the Liverpool right-back, which warranted a yellow card, at one stage, with his directness and injection of pace inflicting trouble; the resultant free-kick from Christian Eriksen came close to beating Alisson in the opposing net.
More importantly though, Elanga's hunger was slightly earlier a key contributor towards providing an assist as United took the lead after only 16 minutes. There was purposeful yet patient build-up from United before Elanga played a one-two with Eriksen, darting into space to receive the return ball before cutting it back to Sancho.
The next few seconds were a work of art from Sancho, turning with composure, sending James Milner sliding and Alisson to the floor as he engineered an open goal to slot into. It was a display of the classiness that was promised when United splashed the cash to gain his services last summer.
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United's tempo on the ball and intensity off it hugely unsettled Liverpool, for whom passes were flying awry and structure was disjointed. It appeared that United were able to catch their rivals back-pedalling with relative ease, cutting through them with help of their restored sharpness.
The clear willingness from United to engage in battle was also a contributor to such unsettlement. Lisandro Martinez, after being hooked at half-time against Brentford, overcame a wrath of criticism, and even people writing him off already, to really come into his own. Even if not literally, he was a colossus at the back, throwing himself into challenges with the levels of aggression and commitment that he is renowned for. Add that to his ability shown in possession and he was just about the standout performer.
Dropping his captain, Harry Maguire, was another bold move from Ten Hag, but he reaped the rewards of starting Raphael Varane, who complimented Martinez extremely well. The Frenchman was on hand to sweep up everything, making nine clearances and dealing with just about everything with a sense of assurance, ultimately making five tackles.
Overall, the defence looked better structurally, which set a precedent for the side as a whole. Bodies behind the ball were organised in a coherent manner, operating more effectively as a collective. When United showed signs of tiring and Liverpool were allowed to gain any sort of foothold, the back line stood firm.
Guts were further shown by Ten Hag at half-time as Ronaldo remained on the bench as Martial, despite having had a few weeks sidelined with injury, was introduced. When Roy Keane, tongue-in-cheek, asked the question to Ronaldo as to why he was on the bench as the United man gatecrashed the Sky Sports broadcast pre-match, the response appeared to be: "What do you want me to do?"
There has developed a certain sense that Ronaldo isn't entirely favoured by Ten Hag. And, given the necessity of a commitment to pressing in Ten Hag's system in general, the Liverpool meeting likely won't be an isolated case of Ronaldo being omitted from the starting side. The Ronaldo situation definitely remains an interesting watchpoint given that it will be a tough ask for him to settle for any sort of more sporadic role.
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Elanga was the player that made way at the juncture despite a strong opening half, marking an acknowledgement from Ten Hag that his side had started to tire towards the end of the opening period (while Elanga came into the side short on minutes in the first place). It appeared a smart move straight away, restricting any stark drop-off in quality that came in hand with fatigue. And it soon transpired to be a stroke of genius, with Martial's impact a significant one in a short space of time.
Rashford was shifted out to the left flank, with Martial slotting in through the middle. And it was that configuration that came to avail as United doubled their lead shortly into the second half. Martial picked up a loose ball in a deep area - something that became a trademark during pre-season - before playing a through ball to Rashford, who timed his run impeccably.
A marker of Rashford's replenishing belief, there was no hesitation as he approached Alisson, finishing with poise reminiscent of his better days. He had made plenty of runs prior to the goal, and this one worked in undoing the opposing defence. It was a goal very much a reward for a showing involving greater energy and a will to face up to be direct and face up to opposing players once more.
The case was very similar with Martial, who linked play well and completed more dribbles than any other player on the pitch despite only featuring in the second 45 minutes. Fans have got to be patient, but there are encouraging signs that, if he can stay fit, there is potential that Martial's better side may emerge this term.
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Liverpool did manage to get a goal back through Mo Salah, who reacted faster than anyone to a second ball following David De Gea saving an effort from Fabio Carvalho. But that was one of only a few inroads that Liverpool were able to engineer, plus the only real impact that Mo Salah was afforded to make.
Why was Salah so ineffective? Well, Martinez and left-back Tyrell Malacia, who replaced an out-of-sorts Luke Shaw, had United's left side (Liverpool's right) on lockdown for most of the match. Malacia was a refreshing youthful presence in defence, with his energy largely limited Liverpool's marquee man. The summer acquisition from Feyenoord ended proceedings having attempted eight tackles, also winning six ground duels, making three ball recoveries and clearances along with an interception too. His output was massively impressive on his maiden Premier League start against one of the world's highest performing clubs in recent times.
United ultimately had enough to hold onto their single-goal lead against a Liverpool side highly frustrated by the opposition's grittiness. All in all, it wasn't the prettiest of wins, with the football sometimes on the scruffier side, but the fact that United found a way, largely through determination, was credit to an admirable attitudinal shift.
There were even instances where Liverpool players were picked up by cameras bickering among one another, with some needle between Virgil van Dijk and James Milner. United's time wasting in the latter stages then worked a trick at getting under the skin of Jurgen Klopp.
When all was said and done United could be rendered deserving victors. They ran further than Liverpool and made a massive 51 more sprints, clocking a total of 155 - a whole 90 more than against Brentford; it also must be added that United's total distance covered was 20km greater than the weekend prior.
They may only have had 30 per cent of the possession, but United's somewhat rare superiority by way of work rate helped them to dominate Liverpool regardless.
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It remains far too premature to bring up Ten Hag's unveiling comments about all eras coming to an end at some point. But, with United having only won once in 12 league meetings with Liverpool in advance of Monday's encounter, the win did signify that Ten Hag may be starting his turning of the tide at the club.
This time around, the instilling of a newfound level intensity was definitely a major reason that United overcame Liverpool. It remains to be seen what the side may look like against different opposition, but it was important that Ten Hag showed a sense of pragmatism to adapt against a high echelon opponent.
All of a sudden, things do look a whole load brighter for Manchester United than they did after their 4-0 crushing against Brentford only nine days earlier.
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