Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher agree with Roy Keane on ‘outstanding’ Man Utd claim

Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and Jamies Carragher have heaped praise on Manchester United following their impressive 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday night.

The Red Devils welcomed their bitter rivals to Old Trafford of the back of two consecutive defeats in the Premier League, but put in a remarkably improved display to pick up their first points of the season.

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford fired United into a two-goal lead, before Mo Salah produced a late effort to halve the deficit.

Ultimately, however, Erik ten Hag’s side were able to hang on to their slender advantage to secure the victory, and the nature of their performance has courted widespread praise among pundits.

Here’s what Neville, Keane, and Carragher had to say...

Jamie Carragher

The former Liverpool defender heaped praise on United for their attacking display, but was understandably scathing in his assessement of his former club’s defensive frailties.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, he said: “Liverpool were absolutely shocking defensively. They were not at the races at all,” Carragher said.

“Every time United went forward in that first half they looked like they were going to score. It was embarrassing. Liverpool were all over the place.

“United were outstanding, but Liverpool weren’t ready for a derby game. They didn’t look ready for the game and that will worry Jurgen Klopp right now.

“Manchester United got a lot of criticism for their defending at Brentford and Liverpool should be getting exactly the same treatment after this.”

Gary Neville

After acting as a vocal critic of United’s lacklustre start to the new season, Neville expressed both his pride and shock at the display that Ten Hag’s side produced on Monday night.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the final whistle, he said: “I’m really proud as a Manchester United fan watching these players and I never thought I’d say that after the past few weeks.

“The fight, spirit and energy from Manchester United was brilliant.

“I’m absolutely stunned, I didn’t think that was possible. I couldn’t believe what I was watching in those first 45 minutes. I didn’t think Manchester United were capable. This is a massive turnaround.

“I don’t know what’s happened this week on the training ground, but they’ve responded. I don’t know what it is but I cannot believe what I have witnessed. They outrun Liverpool, they outsprinted Liverpool.

“That can’t be a one-off. That’s the standard they’ve now set, we’ve all seen the work ethic. They ran a lot more than they have done previously and played some good football along the way.

“The crowd were cheering after two or three minutes because of tackles and effort, not because of goals but because of challenges.

“They were under massive pressure those United players, so to respond to last week was a big moment for Ten Hag and the club.”

Roy Keane

Keane was quick to hail the bravery behind Ten Hag’s team selection against Liverpool, and suggested that United were fully deserving of the praise they stand to receive in the aftermath of Monday’s result.

Speaking alongside Neville and Carragher on Sky Sports, he said: “Going into the game, the manager made some big calls dropping Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo, and the players responded. They were excellent.

“It’s a huge boost for Ten Hag. It will give everyone a lift and the feel-good factor will be back for a few days.

“They deserved the criticism last week but they were outstanding tonight. Great commitment, great desire. Tonight they deserve all the plaudits.”