Long before the final whistle was blown at Old Trafford and then long after it too, the Liverpool away end was bouncing. The name of Arne Slot was not the only thing on the lips of those delighting in the victory — the chants of "Ten Hag's at the wheel" were audible from well inside the bowls of the stadium.
The Manchester United boss had boldly declared earlier in the week, in the build-up to this game, that his side had been more impressive than Liverpool in the period in which he had been at the club. That wasn't particularly evident at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The millions wasted on Casemiro only looked even sillier as he was hooked at half-time and replaced by an inexperienced 20-year-old Toby Collyer. Antony, another of Ten Hag's signings, was left on the bench throughout.
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By the time Liverpool went in for the interval, a Luis Diaz brace had seen the Reds soar in front. And the only difference between this game and the three last season was that Liverpool actually finished its chances.
Jurgen Klopp's side was just as dominant as Arne Slot's but the difference in quality in front of goal — on this occasion — finally told. There couldn't have been a better way for the new Liverpool head coach to ignite his rein.
"Listen, behind (Manchester) City we have won the most trophies over the last two years — so we performed better than anyone else," Ten Hag had said. It felt ill-advised at the time and only looks even more daft now.
"Listen to me, listen to me, that’s the reality," Ten Hag continued. "Those are the facts. This year we want to win trophies — and I am quite confident we will build up to this.
"That’s what I have done for the last 11 years, so I am just patient and just waiting. We will continue to work on the process. We have to improve the process and aim for our next target, which is to go for more trophies.
"As I have said, not only have we progressed, we also won trophies. How a team plays is very subjective, so there's only one thing in football — and that's about the end of the season and if you win prizes and trophies or not."
There was nothing subjective about the gulf between Liverpool and Manchester United, however. There is only one side that looked impressive here and that is made even more pointed by the fact that Slot has had only a matter of weeks to work with his full roster.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, is two years into his project but the difference in how each team has been coached is already massive. Only wasteful finishing hid that in each of the three meetings last year.
It would surprise no one if Ten Hag was out of a job before Christmas, while Slot's tenure has only just begun. For the Manchester United boss, another spectacular example of his side being poorly put together; for his Liverpool counterpart, his early success has just been given the perfect acceleration.
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