What we learned from Man Utd's rout of Liverpool: From Darwin's debut to Sancho's statement of intent

As introductions go, this was about as good as Erik Ten Hag could have hoped for. Sure, United are a little ahead of Liverpool in terms of preparation, and yes, they named a more experienced starting XI, which proved the difference in the first half hour. One pre-season win won’t solve all, or indeed any, of their problems either.

But after so much negativity and uncertainty at Old Trafford, Ten Hag and his players will have been delighted to start the new era with a win – and a convincing one over their arch-rivals at that.

The question now is how they will handle the tougher tests which await. There were, remember, 34 points between these sides last season, and closing that gap will be high on Ten Hag’s list of priorities going forward.

It looked like Darwin Nunez was about to mark his first Liverpool appearance with a debut goal, when Mohamed Salah’s shot struck a post and rebounded kindly into his path. But as Eric Bailly flew in to make the block, the Uruguayan got his finish all wrong, firing over the bar on his right foot.

Still, this was an encouraging first outing for the 23-year-old, who showed plenty to suggest he will slot in nicely at Anfield. Nunez’s movement was good, always on the shoulder of the last defender and able to peel off and find space, as he did when forcing a decent save from David De Gea from Andy Robertson’s diagonal pass.

More will be expected, of course, as he adjusts to his new team-mates and his new club, but after just a couple of training sessions – one of which was disrupted by painful blisters – the Reds’ new No.27 already looks like he’s getting into the swing of things.

This is a big season for Jadon Sancho, and here he played like a man who understands that fact.

Having shown only flashes of his undoubted class last term, the former Borussia Dortmund will be looking to find consistency in his second campaign in Manchester. And with a World Cup on the horizon, the carrot is there for the 22-year-old to do exactly that.

He was sharp here, taking advantage of the inexperience of Isaac Mabaya to fire United in front. He caused issues for Nat Phillips, Joe Gomez and Rhys Williams, too, with his closing down and movement.

A step in the right direction, without a shadow of a doubt.

Having lit up Anfield since his arrival from Porto in January, all eyes are on Luis Diaz to see whether he can continue that form in his first full season on Merseyside. On this evidence, nobody needs to worry about that.

The Colombian simply picked up where he had left off, as sharp and as lively as he had been during the second half of last season. He is relentlessly positive, Diaz, forever running at defenders and asking questions.

Starting on the left, he gave Diogo Dalot plenty of problems during the first half an hour, forcing David De Gea into a sprawling save with one shot and clipping the outside of the post with another. That will be an area to improve on this season, his goalscoring record, but if and when it does, then Liverpool will be in business, and then some.

One of the most interesting aspects of pre-season, every year, is seeing which young players can catch the eye and offer a glimpse of the future. Plenty were given the chance to here, on both sides.

For United, there was an impressive showing from Zidane Iqbal, a 19-year-old, Manchester-born Iraq international, who slotted in impressively in midfield in the second half, and a reminder of the quality of Amad Diallo, who set up Pellistri’s goal on the counterattack.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will have liked what they saw from home-grown left back Luke Chambers in the first 30 minutes, and from attacking midfielder Tom Hill in the final half hour. Hill, 19, is back playing after nearly two years out through injury, and looked eager to make up for lost time, forming part of a front three which also contained Nunez and Salah. The Formby-born teenager was unlucky not to cap his display with a goal. 

Carvalho, Nunez and Malacia were not the only debutants here, as Liverpool showed off their new away strip for the first time. Unveiled earlier on Tuesday, the dizzying design is said to have been inspired by Merseyside’s musical past, and in particular the 90s dance scene.

It’s certainly a striking strip, though whether that was a good thing in the first half is another matter entirely, as Jurgen Klopp’s defenders, in particular, got their moves all wrong.

Youngster Isaac Mabaya gave up the first goal, Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez messed up for the second, and Rhys Willams was caught out badly for the third. Things looked a little better after half-time, but it’s fair to say that Nike’s latest offering will take some getting used to.