Harry Maguire’s late header secured Manchester United’s first win at Anfield in nearly a decade and inflicted Liverpool’s fourth successive defeat.
Cody Gakpo’s strike with 12 minutes left looked like it would end Liverpool’s losing streak, only for Maguire to head beyond Liverpool keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili six minutes from time.
Gakpo scored from close range after earlier hitting the woodwork three times, but Ruben Amorim’s side continued to press forward, with Maguire providing a dramatic finale.
United stunned Liverpool by taking the lead inside two minutes, although it was a moment shrouded in controversy, referee Michael Oliver letting the play go on even though Alexis Mac Allister was lying prone with a head injury after being accidentally elbowed by team-mate Virgil van Dijk.
Bryan Mbeumo was not waiting around, applying the finish past Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson.
In an end-to-end encounter, United captain Bruno Fernandes wasted an opportunity to double their lead, shooting wide with the goal at his mercy, while Liverpool’s fortunes were summed up by Gakpo hitting the woodwork twice before the break and once more in the second half in front of The Kop. The Dutchman also headed wide late on, when he looked certain to equalise for a second time.
United’s new Belgian keeper Senne Lammens also distinguished himself by saving from Alexander Isak when he raced clear.
The second half was action-packed, with Maguire’s late intervention giving United their first Anfield win since January 2016, while Liverpool have lost four games in a row for the first time since November 2014, under Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool’s fourth successive loss was barely thinkable after the ease with which they won last season’s Premier League title, then built on that triumph by spending almost £450m on new talent.
The champions have been short of their best since the season started, with a series of dramatic wins snatched by late goals starting to become a distant memory after this latest defeat – insult added to injury by the fact it was inflicted by bitter rivals Manchester United at their Anfield fortress.
Liverpool’s defensive vulnerability has been consistently exposed all season, with United taking fewer than two minutes to inflict punishment, although whether referee Oliver should have stopped play for Mac Allister’s head injury is a serious point of debate.
It must be said Liverpool did not enjoy much luck, the woodwork struck three times, but they were, on too many occasions, ponderous and looking short of ideas – and also felt the wrath of their own supporters as frustrations grew.
Their last chance was a stoppage-time header Gakpo somehow diverted wide, leaving Liverpool’s fans in despair and the United followers jubilant.
What was portrayed as a Liverpool blip now looks like it may be something more.
