United's performance suggests Erik Ten Hag can emulate Klopp's success

It was fitting that Manchester United’s first victory of the Erik ten Hag era came against Liverpool.

Victory over an arch-rival offers bragging rights as well as points, but the real significance of this result lies in what Jurgen Klopp’s side represent. The German arrived at Anfield in 2015 to take on the unenviable task of awakening a sleeping giant of English football, and has subsequently gone on to collect every major trophy available to him.

It is the very same path Ten Hag hopes to walk after taking the reins at Old Trafford this summer off the back of a difficult decade for the Red Devils. And, while three points in the Premier League’s biggest fixture does not mean that is certain to happen, momentum-building wins against rivals can play a key role in progression. 

Let it not be forgotten that the early stages of Klopp’s time in charge were littered with inexplicably poor results that did not suggest great things awaited. For example, a 3-0 defeat at Watford in December 2015 and a second-half collapse to lose 3-2 at Southampton later that season certainly did not hint that the biggest trophies would be heading to Merseyside any time soon.

Yet in this period of transition, Klopp claimed his first Premier League win at high-flying Chelsea, and then thrashed Manchester City 4-1 on their own patch a month later. That campaign also featured a run to the Europa League final, in which Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United were swept aside in thrilling fashion.

Jurgen Klopp: had to endure the bad with the good in his first season at Liverpool

So, while Liverpool’s weaknesses tended to be exposed on a regular basis in Klopp’s first year in charge, poor runs were also punctuated by statement victories that signposted where things were headed.

Manchester United will now hope the same can be true for them after they shrugged off shock defeats to Brighton and Brentford to get one over on their most hated rivals. The fact that Monday evening saw Ten Hag’s players commit to the style of play he hopes to instill and show they are willing to do the required work was certainly encouraging.

United players ran over 18.3km further across the 90 minutes than they did against Brentford. It is unlikely that they will keep this work-rate up - they will play games where they dominate the ball and therefore don’t need to press for long periods - but the benefits of hard graft have at least been spelled out.

Ten Hag’s authority cannot have been harmed by his getting the big calls so clearly correct on such a big stage. The decision to drop both Cristiano Ronaldo and club captain Harry Maguire was proven right by the result and energy of the performance, and that can only aid buy-in from the squad.

It also helps that the manager’s key summer signings Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen impressed to offer hope that United’s transfer dealings may even improve from here on in.

Furthermore, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford’s showings suggested Ten Hag could even get more out of a struggling current crop in the way Klopp did with the likes of Jordan Henderson.

There remains a long way to go, and a defeat at Southampton on Saturday would pierce the bubble of optimism created by beating Liverpool. But if Ten Hag can keep the statement wins flowing in a season where expectations are likely to remain realistically low, United fans have every reason to hope that a much brighter future awaits.