Why Ruben Amorim isn't out of danger yet despite Manchester United beating Liverpool at Anfield after nine years

Ruben Amorim experienced the finest moment of his tenure as Manchester United manager so far after the under-fire 'Red Devils' emerged triumphant against defending champions Liverpool on Sunday, winning a thrilling encounter at the Anfield 2-1.

Summer signing Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead in the very first minute while senior defender Harry Maguire restored their lead with a header in the 84th minute, six minutes after Cody Gakpo’s equaliser. United, who have allowed the game to slip away from them from stronger positions in the recent past, kept their nerves in check and held on to their slender lead for nearly 15 minutes after Maguire’s goal to pull off a much-needed victory, which condemned Arne Slot’s ‘Reds’ to a fourth consecutive loss across competitions.

Man United not only have collected back-to-back wins for the first time in the ongoing season as a result of their triumph, having beaten Sunderland 2-0 at home before the international break, it was also their first win at Anfield in nine years. Louis van Gaal was in charge of the iconic club when United had last won at Anfield – which took place in January 2016 with English legend Wayne Rooney starring in a 1-0 victory.

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The win gave United a much-needed dose of belief that had been missing for the last two years, ever since their performance graph started to go downhill under Erik ten Hag’s management in the 2023-24 season. It also gives Amorim some much-needed breathing space, with the Portuguese manager finding himself on the verge of getting fired after his team’s 3-1 away defeat against Brentford.

Why Anfield win doesn’t guarantee a full season for Amorim yet

Amorim, however, will understand better than anyone else that while the victory over Liverpool will have calmed the club’s management temporarily, he will have to deliver such results consistently if he is to see out a full season as United boss, and not get sacked around the winter break or earlier.

The game, after all, could have easily gone the other way had Liverpool, who clearly are struggling at the moment despite being the title holders, capitalised on the plethora of chances that came their way on Sunday.

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Gakpo could have easily completed a brace and helped Liverpool go level with their fierce rivals for the second time on Sunday just minutes after Maguire’s header. The Dutchman had come close on several other occasions, hitting the post at least thrice. Similar chances were missed by talismanic forward Mohamed Salah as well as summer signing Hugo Ekitike.

How unlucky was Cody Gakpo yesterday 🤯 pic.twitter.com/T3thGV573I

— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) October 20, 2025

And while United followed and executed a much better plan compared to an out-of-sorts Liverpool, the latter were able to create a lot more chances.

And had a couple more of those been converted, Amorim might have found himself wearing the scowl that has been his defining expression since he joined United as ten Hag’s replacement last November.

What’s next for Amorim and United

United face Brighton, a team they have not been able to beat in their last five meetings, at home next Saturday, and will be on the road thereafter as they face Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur – the team that had beaten Amorim’s United in the UEFA Europa League final earlier this year – away from home.

The 20-time English top-flight champions certainly have momentum on their side at the moment. But these next few fixtures will stand as a true test of Amorim’s managerial skills and could play an equally important role at deciding his fate at Old Trafford.