Manchester United thrashed rivals Liverpool 4-0 in front of a packed crowd at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok as part of their pre-season tour of Thailand – marking Erik ten Hag’s first game in charge with a win.
The two Premier League outfits squared up some 6000 miles away from their home in Thailand as part of their respective pre-season tours, a packed Rajamangala Stadium witnessing the two giants of European football kick start their season with a friendly encounter. In Erik ten Hag’s first match as Red Devils manager, his side beat their opponents by four goals to nil – with returning loan stars and last season’s stalwarts on the scoresheet.
A frantic start to the game in Bangkok forced David de Gea into action early on – the custodian making three stops to keep his side from falling behind in the opening minutes. However, against the run of play, the Red Devils took the lead through Jadon Sancho, who found the bottom corner with a first-time hit after a poor clearance by Liverpool’s young right-back Isaac Mabaya.
Moments later, debutante Fabio Carvalho hit the post before Luis Diaz scuffed his follow-up at the other end of the pitch – both from close range. Manchester United capitalized by doubling and then tripling their advantage within three minutes past the half-hour mark.
Fred scored first with a chip from outside the box following another poor clearance by the Liverpool defence. Minutes later, Anthony Martial stole possession in the opposition half before lobbing the ball over Alisson from close range.
The two sides battled for territorial dominance for much of the remainder of the match while fashioning an odd chance for themselves. Once again, it was ten Hag’s team that found the net – 76 minutes in – through Facundo Pellestri’s close-range finish after Eric Bailly had carved open the opposition with a gliding run through the middle.
There was still time for Mohamed Salah to hit the post late on and Darwin Nunez to blast his shot wide from close range with the net gaping – as the Reds succumbed to a big defeat to their rivals in Bangkok.
