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CASEMIRO LOOKED IN front and then behind in the split second before he received the pass.
Like all good midfielders he had the full picture in his head.
But the problem was his legs.
He took a touch to open up his body, and the pitch, and took the ball forward. It just wasn’t with any kind of purpose.
He was going nowhere fast.
For Liverpool’s first goal, the Manchester United midfielder had rushed a needless first-time pass under no pressure and provided the away side with a dangerous counter attack that was duly punished with Luis Diaz scoring a back-post header on 35 minutes.
This time, the Brazilian tried to be positive with a touch to take United on the attack and feed Marcus Rashford wide on the left.
Before he knew it, though, Diaz was over his shoulder and prodded the ball away from him to the feet of Alexis MacAllister.
Casemiro was sent sprawling on the floor. As he began his descent it seemed as though he had already started to look up at referee Anthony Taylor.
Of course he wanted the foul but it felt like something more.
Maybe it was pity, maybe it was mercy.
There was none shown.
Certainly not by Liverpool.
Casemiro lay prone for a second or two and by the time he was up from his knees Liverpool were in the box. He began to jog back as Mo Salah fed an inviting pass between centre backs Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt from the right.
And who was there to meet the pass? Diaz. Casemiro had a perfect view 25 yards away as the Colombian cushioned a delicate finish low to Andre Onana’s left.
There were three minutes to half-time and United made it in with the game not beyond them – but it was when Mo Salah scored the third early after the interval.
Casemiro’s race was run by that point.
He was replaced by Toby Collyer at the break, the club’s latest academy graduate tasked with helping to stem the tide of Liverpool’s dominance.
Casemiro was afforded a sorry kind of dignity as he could disappear in the shadows, away from view.
The end could have come last May when he was named on the bench for the FA Cup final only to then report an injury that forced him to be withdrawn from the squad altogether.
He is 32 years of age (the same as Salah but you’d never guess) and the expectation among some at Old Trafford this summer was that he would depart for Saudi Arabia. Whatever the reason for why that move didn’t materialise, United could be stuck with him until at least the end of the 2025/26 season.
There is even an option for an additional year.
United signed another South American to replace him this week, Uruguayan Manuel Ugarte arriving from PSG but not in time to start.
He won’t solve all of United’s midfield problems but should at least provide help.
United need all they can get and it’s only 1 September.
Again the questions will centre around whether Erik ten Hag is actually capable of knowing how to inspire, and sustain, any kind of progress.
There were boos and jeers from the Old Trafford crowd after Salah scored the third goal of the game on 56 minutes.
When Marcus Rashford was presented with an opportunity to take on Ibrahima Konaté down the left a few moments later he instead decided to turn back and play it safe.
More jeers.
Liverpool fans could afford to mock from the hour mark and began a chorus of Olés as Onana, Martinez and De Ligt played the ball around their own 18-yard box.
When Alejandro Garnacho was taken off around the 75 minute mark there were more boos.
The Sky Sports cameras flashed to Alex Ferguson in the stand as tends to be the case whenever United find themselves in the midst of such a humbling.
Had Dominik Szoboszlai just shot from eight yards out with the goal gaping it would have been 0-4. Instead he chose to be smart and tried to chop back. The chance was gone but the result was never in danger.
Joshua Zirkzee did force Alisson into two decent saves – one a shot from distance the other a close range header with not enough power – but Liverpool had it won long before then.
As brittle as United were, Liverpool were brilliant. Their new manager, Arne Slot, has shown that life post Jurgen Klopp doesn’t have to begin with confusion or concern.
Slot has set the bar with three wins from three and a commanding victory at Old Trafford.
They will relish what is to come.
Written by David Sneyd and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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121k to design a hut. Pull the other one.
@Llennoc: and 190k to rent a temporary security hut during construction period. The Golden circle are allowed to plunder the tax take, with a nod and a wink. No wonder there’s such a gap in society, the range rover brigade get their money so easy, no work involved
Who got the job and let us see all the quotes
OPW is in cahoots wirh certain CCTV and security companies across the country at ALL OPW sites…. i know for a fact, as i’m in the game. This in itself needs investigating.
@Steve Davis: I think maybe you need to supply the information you have to the gardai and expose what is going on
@Tony Lyons: he’s snookered now…..
@JB Software: quality comment
No one is questioning the need for security… but seriously, the cost is ridiculous…. this is not government money, this is taxpayers money… there seems not to be any proper scrutiny from the opw on spending our money.
@R kelly: opw are just one state organisation. There’s others that spend vastly more money, the waste is incredible.
@R kelly: the cost for the equipment fit out isn’t unreasonable
@Pat Hazzard: Mr Pathetic trotted out by Fianna Fail to defend the indefensible. If Jimmy Saville was from FF, you would still come on here defending him, sad pathetic shill.
@Pat Hazzard: are you off your tree ?
Here’s the real breakdown.
Cost of hut 429k.
Cost of scam 1m.
The OPW has a ‘Panel’ of three ‘Approved Security Suppliers’. Palms have to be seriously greased to get on that panel.
Once you’re on the panel, you are in cahoots with the other 2 companies and everyone agrees to ramp their quotes up by 400%. (Thats actually how it works)….
The OPW then gets 3 quotes, one off each of their ‘approved suppliers’ so its seen to comply with tendering laws – regardless of the fact they are getting fleeced and could get it €100 of thousands cheaper elsewhere….
@Steve Davis: You seem to know a good bit about this. you should become a whistleblower.
Write to the Gards, to Journos, try take pics of documents that prove what you are saying and get the word out.
no point moaning about it in the Journal comments. Go do something about it.
It’s so easy to spend somebody else’s money. Disgusting.
Not their money so no one cares.
People responsible need to be held to account. It’s very close to criminal what has gone on here.
What’s the scrap value of the copper boss?
The Minister with responsibility for the OPW must be hiding in the HUT, no sign of him for the past fortnight.
I’m so fed up of this country.
The civil servants are running/ruining this country get them out,sack them all
@Paul: when there’s no accountability, they’ll do what they please.
@Paul: then you’ll have nobody to process your dole.
Where going off the rails on this gravy train
Some gig getting a government contract .
191k replacement security system
Would they need to build a fortress around them if they were a popular government? The lorry that rammed the gates of leinster House in 2010 was driven by a very frustrated gentleman,frustrated that this very pack of muppits drove the country of a cliff by refusing to listen to all the warnings given to them at the time. They will do it again and will need protecting.
Who signs off on these? Is there not a minister responsible for the OPW? After all it is taxpayers money they are throwing out.
It’s a thundering disgrace but they will have a right laugh at the christmas party about how they can do whatever they want and not have to worry about getting pulled up on it. Pissing away tax payers money is so deeply embedded in the civil service it will never change.
Government Contracts means Gravy Train for the chosen few. No questions asked. Sickening.
Did they never hear of Ring Door bells..
3 instances is a pattern
that’s just the tip of the iceberg !
these showers are not fit for purpose and should be inquired on everything they do, on everything they get (perks, advantages, money, pensions etc…)
Name and shame, get the money back, do not vote for them anymore …
Heads should roll at OPW. Crazy spending spree their on.
It’s a security hut, not MI5s headquarters. They must have some James Bond gadegts going on in that hut, or Sensori got the contract.
I’d like to see the security footage of the bike shed being built from this state of the art security building. As I hear there was robbery happening at the time.
In fairness, when the Russians come, we all know where to go. For that money, it should hold all 5 million of us and room for a pony.
https://jrnl.ie/6498460
All Sinn Féin’s fault though, and to a lesser extent the Social Democrats. You can see how the government have risen in the polls though
We need Monuments to the Largesse of our Elite that represent our entitled Govt, Civil Service & “Public Service Broadcaster RTE”. The Bike Shelter & Security Hut, as Stephen Matthews described as “Beautiful”, are representative of how the Elite regard themselves & a total disregard of those who work hard & pay their taxes. It has been ever so in Ireland for decades now, a country where the select Elite thrive in a country rotten to the core. Nothing will ever change, there will always be another NCH, Bike Shelter, Security Hut, followed by the faux outrage of the Elite & the oft used “Lessons Learned”.
If we stopped calling it a “hut” it would help. It’s a state of the art security office at the entrance to our highest government building.
@Martin O Connell: yes and the bike shed is the taj mahal. If this level of security is needed then why are the military not guarding it.
@Martin O Connell: OK, we’ll call it sorasoatetohgb for short.
The d Hotel in drogheda was paid 5.3 million for the first 3 or 6 months to house asylum seeks why didn’t we buy it and city west and money hundreds of millions spent and nothing to show for it 190k to rent a security hut why didn’t opw buy it nothing to show for it
Hold on, eu 121,000+ spent on design ! Sounds like OPW engaged consultants for the design. Why? The OPW has their own architects, so why did they need consultants. What were the OPW architects doing, what are they being paid for? Scandalous.
Must have been a lot of brown envelopes involved
Great to see all the learned comments from all the security and construction cost experts here today………
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