Gary Neville was enthused by a Manchester United performance he "didn't think was possible" as they defeated Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford on Monday.

The former United captain said he could not believe how the hugely anticipated game unfolded, with the Red Devils stopping the rot at the start of Erik ten Hag's tenure.

United had lost their opening two Premier League games under their new manager, at home to Brighton and Hove Albion and away to Brentford, to prompt talk of crisis.

Yet goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford lifted Ten Hag's men above Liverpool, who underwhelmed and are now still waiting for their own first win of the league season.

Neville had fumed at United's display in the 4-0 thrashing at Brentford nine days earlier, but he was suddenly full of optimism after the win at Old Trafford.

"I'm absolutely stunned, to be honest with you," he said in his role as a Sky Sports pundit. "I didn't think that was possible, tonight, what I saw, in terms of response.

"I thought the players had cemented what they do now over many months at the end of last season, the start of this season.

"What's happened this week I don't know, but they've responded. Maybe the slight changes in personnel, making brave decisions...

"The captain [Harry Maguire], the star player [Cristiano Ronaldo] have both been left on the bench. That means the manager just gains a little bit of gravitas, maybe, with other players.

"Bruno [Fernandes] has responded; I think [Lisandro] Martinez at the back has played well alongside [Raphael] Varane. I don't know what it is, but I can't believe what I've just witnessed.

"Liverpool weren't at their best, let's be clear, but they weren't at their best against Crystal Palace and Fulham.

"It was just the effort difference that we saw from Manchester United; they've outrun Liverpool, they've outsprinted Liverpool.

"We've questioned that a number of times over the last 12 months, that they're not capable of doing it, and they've shown tonight that they are capable of doing it."

Marcus Rashford said the "energy" Manchester United produced was the difference in a "massive" 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday.

United responded to a 4-0 thrashing at Brentford by securing a first Premier League win under Erik ten Hag at the expense of their fierce rivals at Old Trafford.

Jadon Sancho opened the scoring with a composed first-half finish and Rashford doubled the Red Devils' lead with his first goal in a competitive match since January 22.

Mohamed Salah pulled one back but United held on for a deserved victory to lift the gloom following pre-match protests against owners the Glazer family, with new signing Casemiro watching on.

United showed a lack of fight when they were blown away at Brentford and Rashford felt they were rewarded for the desire they showed nine days later.

He told Sky Sports: "It's a massive game for the club – no matter the circumstances you are in. To get the win is massive.

"The difference was energy. We started at a high tempo. We were tired at the end as they got a goal back but we stuck at it and we didn't fold. It was an enjoyable game to play in.

"It was a goal I've scored quite regularly so it was important get that type of goal. I felt I was in good positions and areas today – on another day I could have had a few more goals. I've just got to keep working hard."

Winger Sancho says United must ensure they maintain the standards they set against Jurgen Klopp's side.

"It means a lot. Our first two games didn't go so well and had it turn it around today," he said.

"Last week hurt a lot and we knew we had to bounce back and tonight we showed the fans what we can do."

He added: "It means a lot to all of us, you can see how the fans are reacting. We got the three points but on to the next one.

"We just have to produce like today in every single game. Happy we got the three points and we move on."

Through the first two rounds of Premier League fixtures, there had been no case for Manchester United's defence. At Old Trafford on Monday, Liverpool's went completely missing.

A week is a long time in football, to use the most fatigued of tired cliches. United had just over a week to stew over their 4-0 humbling at Brentford, during which there was no shortage of talk about another prospective hammering from Jurgen Klopp's consistently merciless Reds. 

Yet after United pressed and harried their way to a surprise 2-1 win in front of a raucous home crowd whipped up by the latest round of protests against the Glazer family's ownership of the club, it will surely be Liverpool who has to face headlines pointing to a crisis among a group of players who have set such remarkable standards in the recent years of Klopp's tenure.

It would be an exaggeration to label Liverpool as a team in crisis – they were without nine first-team players for this derby – but, as the persistent squabbles between Virgil van Dijk and James Milner illustrated, there are certainly problems to fix at the back.

Though the focus may have been on their public disagreements, the first of which came after Jadon Sancho produced composure that has been largely lacking since his move from Borussia Dortmund to put United 1-0 up in the 16th minute, in the aftermath of this game there is more likely to be scrutiny on the performance of the defender to Van Dijk's right.

While Van Dijk was partly at fault for the opener after failing to close down Sancho, it was a goal that was a direct consequence of the frequent success United enjoyed when attacking Trent Alexander-Arnold.

To blame in part for the first goal, Alexander-Arnold was tormented by Anthony Elanga in the first half and had a similarly torrid time when Marcus Rashford switched to the left flank for the second. It was Rashford who doubled United's lead, ending a run of 997 minutes without a goal in all competitions for United by coolly finishing after a counter-attack with Alexander-Arnold conspicuous by his absence.

Alexander-Arnold, regularly maligned for his defensive deficiencies, conceded two fouls and lost possession a game-high 24 times in a performance to swiftly banish from the memory.

Yet to point the finger squarely at him would be to ignore the struggles of those in front of him. Milner, who won under half of his 16 duels, and Jordan Henderson offered little in the way of control or protection for the Liverpool backline. Both were eventually withdrawn in the second half, injury robbing Klopp of the opportunity to introduce a clearly desperately needed Thiago Alcantara.

To focus on Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool's failings would also do a disservice to the impressive nature of United's display.

Scott McTominay, with Casemiro, his new team-mate in the engine room, watching on, was sublime in midfield, his 10th-minute through ball for Bruno Fernandes deserving of a goal that the right-hand post denied Elanga.

Fernandes, forlorn in the two opening defeats, had nine final-third entries, more than any other United player. Rashford, meanwhile, was a player rejuvenated, recording five of United's 12 shots.

At the back, Lisandro Martinez brushed off jokes and questions about his diminutive stature to deliver an all-action showing that featured three blocks, including one clearance off the line to prevent a Fernandes own goal, while left-back Tyrell Malacia's five tackles were the most of any player.

For all the standout displays, United could not stop Mohamed Salah from fraying the nerves with a header after David de Gea denied Fabio Carvalho.

Yet the fact United did not allow that setback to spark a collapse is testament to the speedy turnaround Erik ten Hag – who became the first Red Devils boss to secure his maiden competitive win against Liverpool – engineered in the wake of their meek surrender at Brentford.

Klopp will almost certainly dismiss any crisis talk about a team who suffered their first defeat in 22 Premier League games and have failed to win their first three Premier League games for the first time since 2012-13. However, after seeing his side concede the first goal for the seventh successive league fixture and fail to recover, Klopp must find solutions that have the same impact of those Ten Hag discovered in the compelling latest chapter of this great rivalry.

An uninspiring performance from Juventus saw them held to a goalless draw at Sampdoria as they failed to make it two Serie A wins from two.

Massimiliano Allegri’s men were looking to make it seven consecutive Serie A victories against their opponents from Genoa, but they were unable to break down a resolute defence.

Adrien Rabiot thought he had opened the scoring in the second half, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR check and Samp held on for their first point of the season.

Monday's stalemate means the Bianconeri go fourth as they dropped points after lacking a cutting edge.

The hosts nearly went in front after just six minutes when a sublime through ball from Abdelhamid Sabiri picked out Mehdi Leris in the box, but the midfielder’s dink struck Mattia Perin’s hip and hit the crossbar.

Emil Audero then made an important stop to tip a deflected Filip Kostic effort, which was destined for the top corner, over the bar.

After the interval, Rabiot thought he had broken the deadlock with an excellent first-time left-foot finish, but the VAR ruled it out as Dusan Vlahovic was offside in the build-up.

Juve pushed for a winner late on, but could not find one as Sampdoria held on for an impressive point.

Jose Mourinho says he is worried about an injury Nicolo Zaniolo sustained in the win over Cremonese, but "crying about it does not help".

Attacking midfielder Zaniolo damaged his shoulder in the 1-0 Serie A victory at the Stadio Olimpico and had to be replaced just before half-time.

Another injury setback for the luckless Giallorossi came just a day after new signing Georginio Wijnaldum sustained a broken leg in training.

Roma boss Mourinho is concerned that Zaniolo could similarly be facing a lengthy absence, but he says they must not feel sorry for themselves.

"I am worried, but that is life," Mourinho said. "Crying about it does not help.

"Obviously, you have ideas and plans in place for how you want to play – and then you immediately find yourself in a situation where we are a few players down. But that's football, it can happen, and we need to look forward."

Mourinho is unsure whether he will be able to go back into the transfer market for replacements.

He added: "Right now, everyone wants the same thing, which is to make the right decisions for the club. These decisions are down to the ownership and the general manager.

"They know before this exactly what I would have liked – and now we have these new difficulties after the injuries to Zaniolo and Wijnaldum. But we are all united and together we will try to find the best possible solution."

Chris Smalling scored the only goal of the game against Cremonese to make it two Serie A wins out of two for Roma.

It is easy to imagine how Manchester United landed on Casemiro's name in the week that followed their shambolic 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

United were preyed upon by the Brentford press, giving up three chances and two goals from high turnovers as Christian Eriksen – a false nine in their previous match – ended up as the deepest midfielder and struggled badly.

Through two games, no Premier League side allowed more shots following high turnovers than United (eight).

At the very least, Casemiro – a five-time Champions League winner anchoring one of the great modern midfields at Real Madrid – should make United harder to play against.

Yet the 30-year-old, whose arrival at Old Trafford was confirmed ahead of Monday's game against Liverpool, possesses a vastly different profile to the previous two midfielders United very publicly pursued – ultimately unsuccessfully.

The progression from Frenkie de Jong to Adrien Rabiot to Casemiro was not a particularly obvious one, but have the Red Devils now ended up with the right man?

No more 'McFred'

Few United fans who have seen their 'McFred' midfield repeatedly overrun in recent seasons would complain about the club recruiting an upgrade on Fred.

The numbers would suggest that is what they are buying in Casemiro, who is comparable to his Brazil team-mate by several metrics.

Only two LaLiga midfielders made more recoveries than Casemiro (230) last season, yet his 8.0 per 90 were topped by Fred's 8.7. Fred matched Casemiro for tackles per 90 (both 2.8) and edged him in terms of interceptions (1.4 to 1.3).

However, Casemiro's physical presence ensured he won 59.7 per cent of his duels, far outperforming Fred's 47.8 per cent.

And the Madrid man, crucially, is more effective with the ball once he has won it.

Carlo Ancelotti's side attempted 43 shots at the end of sequences that started with Casemiro recovering possession, seeing the midfielder lead LaLiga in this regard and trail only Marcelo Brozovic (44) across Europe's top five leagues.

Although just 27.6 per cent of Casemiro's passes were played forward – versus Fred's 30.4 per cent – he was at the heart of so many Madrid attacks.

Casemiro played 34 passes to players who immediately created chances for team-mates, which compared very favourably with Rabiot (12), Scott McTominay (18), Fred (19) and, indeed, De Jong (22).

Carrying United's hopes

There was an obvious appeal to the attempted signing of De Jong, who would have offered something different to the United midfield.

Highly skilled with the ball at his feet, De Jong's carries progressed the play 113.6 metres upfield per 90 last season. Ahead of playing Liverpool, United's five midfielders (Fred, McTominay, Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek) had progressed the ball only 384m combined so far this season – or 192m per 90.

Casemiro clearly cannot offer this dynamism either, given he carried the ball just 54.3m upfield per 90 last term.

And United could seemingly still benefit from a player of De Jong's talents, as Casemiro is used to being able to rely on others in midfield to fulfil this role; he was by far Madrid's least progressive midfield carrier in 2021-22, behind Toni Kroos (80.6m), Luka Modric (85.7m), Eduardo Camavinga (91.1m) and Federico Valverde (133.3m).

But considering the difficulties in getting that deal done with Barcelona, United's scattergun approach has at least – via Rabiot – picked out a player capable of helping them both with and without the ball.

No Premier League team conceded more goals than United through the first two matchweeks of the season, while they only netted themselves courtesy of an own goal.

One man alone may not be able to get United's season back on track, but Casemiro is primed to give it a good go.

Erik ten Hag reiterated Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of his Manchester United plans beyond this transfer window, despite the forward's lack of playing time this season.

Ronaldo has been named among the substitutes for two of United's opening three Premier League matches following a disrupted pre-season owing to family reasons.

The 37-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs across Europe, though a move away from Old Trafford has not materialised ahead of the September 1 deadline.

Ten Hag's decision to leave Ronaldo out of his starting line-up to face Liverpool on Monday only increased talk of the Portugal international's days at United being numbered.

However, with a lack of viable options to replace Ronaldo, Ten Hag is hopeful the five-time Ballon d'Or winner can adapt to his playing style over time.

"We plan with him. We know he scores goals, and that is one of the most important factors in football," Ten Hag told Sky Sports prior to the confirmation of Monday's team news. 

"We want him to be here. It's not like we can easily appoint three or four top strikers, because they're not available. 

"We are happy with him and we have to fit him in our system, our way of playing. That's what he's trying and that's what we're trying."

Ronaldo indicated last week that he intends to confirm the "truth" about speculation that has surrounded his future in a revealing interview later this month.

Asked for his thoughts on the interview, Ten Hag said: "I don't know what he wants to achieve with that. You'll have to ask him."

When it was then put to Ten Hag by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher that Ronaldo has asked for a move away, Ten Hag replied: "That's not what he's telling us."

The 24 goals Ronaldo scored in all competitions in 2021-22 were 14 more than next-best Bruno Fernandes, with no other United player reaching double-figures in a dire season.

New York Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is expected to miss around three weeks after sustaining a sprained right MCL in Sunday's 25-22 preseason win against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was hurt on a cut block from Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss on a running play early in the second quarter. 

An MRI revealed the MCL sprain, leaving the door open for Thibodeaux to potentially play when New York open their season with a visit to the Tennessee Titans on September 11. 

"Fingers crossed," first-year Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "Hopefully his rehab goes well." 

New York selected Thibodeaux with the first of two top-10 choices in this year's draft following a standout three-year career at Oregon.

The 6ft 5in, 258-pound edge rusher amassed 19 sacks in 32 games for the Ducks, earned 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honours and was a unanimous All-American in 2021. 

Thibodeaux has been running with the first-team defense during training camp and is being counted on to boost a unit that tied for 22nd in the NFL with 34 sacks last season. 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire were both dropped by Erik ten Hag for Manchester United's crucial Premier League derby with Liverpool on Monday.

Veteran forward Ronaldo and club captain Maguire started on the bench against Jurgen Klopp's Reds at Old Trafford, as the Dutchman looked to stimulate his side following a pair of dismal performances to start the campaign.

Ronaldo, arguably United's brightest spark during a turgid 2021-22 campaign, has failed to find the net this term in the wake of a disrupted pre-season that saw him sit out the club's tour of Asia and Australia.

The Portugal international has reportedly been seeking an exit from the club to play Champions League football, though with just over a week until the transfer window shuts, it appears likely he will remain.

Maguire, frequently a scapegoat for the club's struggles last term following a superb 2020-21 season and Euro 2020 performance for England, has meanwhile looked shaky at the back, with United shipping six goals in their first two games.

A home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion was followed by a 4-0 rout at the hands of Brentford, and Ten Hag sought to make corrective action for one of his side's biggest games of the season.

Ten Hag made four changes in total, with Luke Shaw and Fred also dropping out, while Tyrell Malacia, Scott McTominay, Antony Elanga and Raphael Varane were recalled.

Liverpool made three alterations for the trip to Old Trafford, meanwhile, with fit-again Roberto Firmino joining Joe Gomez and captain Jordan Henderson in the XI. Nat Phillips and Fabinho dropped out, while Darwin Nunez served the first of a three-match ban.

Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski has revealed head coach Antonio Conte wants him to "kill the opponent in a sporting way" in order to become more ruthless.

Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League having won two and drawn one of their opening three games as they look to follow up last season's fourth-place finish, where a strong run at the end meant they pipped fierce rivals Arsenal to the final Champions League qualification spot.

Kulusevski has impressed since arriving from Juventus at the beginning of the year and has started this campaign well, scoring and assisting in the opening day 4-1 victory over Southampton.

But the 22-year-old says Conte is demanding even more from him, despite the versatile winger having 15 Premier League goal involvements in 21 appearances since his arrival in North London in January.

"I can attack the goal more for sure. Sometimes I'm just in a different world when I play," Kulusevski told Standard Sport. "I feel so comfortable sometimes, so I just play and have fun. But [Conte] doesn't want me to have fun. He wants me to kill the opponent in a sporting way.

"I feel very good. I think I can do better but the important thing is always to be humble, to work harder because we have a goal this season and I think we can do it.

"For sure it's easier with a pre-season. You have more time to adapt. Last season you came into the game and you had one chance. If you played bad you did not play again. It was more pressure. Now I feel much better, a better start and physically in better form."

Spurs' strong opening to the season has been aided by their threat from set-pieces, with Harry Kane scoring headers from corners in successive games after bagging against Chelsea and then Wolves at the weekend.

And Kulusevski has playfully suggested that new set-piece coach Gianni Vio should be asking for a better contract because of Tottenham's newfound potency from dead-ball situations.

"I told [Vio] three times that we have to give him more money. He has to get a pay rise for sure! Shout out to him. He's very important," Kulusevski added.

"He makes a difference, like you can see. At the end of the day, we won on a set-piece so we have to keep working on that. It's not the funnest thing in the world but it makes results. It helps a lot. We have to keep listening to him and do what he says.

"I don't remember that we scored so many [from set-pieces] last season but it's very important. Now we have to get better. Every time we get a set-piece we have to believe we can score."

Casemiro was spotted at Old Trafford ahead of Manchester United's Premier League fixture with Liverpool as the midfielder prepared to be unveiled as the Red Devils' latest signing.

The Brazil enforcer is joining United from Real Madrid in a deal reportedly worth an initial £60million (€70m), having won an incredible 18 trophies during a nine-year spell with Los Blancos.

Having bid farewell to Madrid in a press conference earlier on Monday, Casemiro was seen at pitchside ahead of United's clash with Liverpool, in which Erik ten Hag's under-fire side will bid to end an eight-match winless run against their rivals.

Casemiro starred as Carlo Ancelotti's Madrid claimed their 14th European crown with a Champions League final win over Jurgen Klopp's team in May, and should offer increased protection to a United defence which capitulated to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford last time out.

Earlier on Monday, Casemiro took to social media to thank Madrid for the emotional send-off he was afforded after a hugely successful spell with the club.  

"The truth is that I never dreamed of such a farewell to Real Madrid. Never," he wrote on Twitter.

"Excuse the emotion that was impossible for me to contain. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for so much love. Here a Madridista leaves. Good luck and Hala Madrid!"

The competition for the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback job for the season opener is complete. 

Baker Mayfield will start in Week 1 when the Panthers host his former team – the Cleveland Browns – on September 11. 

"When we started this process, we were looking at three things," Carolina coach Matt Rhule said on Monday. "Number one, mastery of the offense, number two, situational football excellence, and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That's been our focus all along. 

"Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time."

Mayfield and Sam Darnold had been battling for the starting job since the Panthers acquired Mayfield in a trade with the Browns in July. 

"All along, we've felt like we need to have a really strong quarterback room, and have every quarterback ready to play," Rhule said. "The reality of this league is most teams will play multiple quarterbacks. Sam has worked incredibly hard, played really well for us during training camp, and will be ready to go if and when it's needed."

Rhule was not ready to name a starting QB after the Panthers’ 20-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Friday – a game in which neither Mayfield nor Darnold played – but with rookie third-round draft pick Matt Corral suffering a Lisfranc ligament tear in his foot in that game and the season opener now less than three weeks away, he is ready to give Mayfield the opportunity to lead the offense in Week 1. 

"Like I said all along, when we know we know," Rhule said on Friday, "And we’ll announce something when it’s right."

Rhule did not say anything about the starting job being Mayfield’s all season, so it’s certainly possible Darnold could take over if the 27-year-old struggles or the losses pile up and the team needs a spark. 

The two signal-callers will be forever linked as the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft, with Mayfield going first overall to the Browns and Darnold being chosen third by the New York Jets. 

Mayfield started 59 games in his four seasons in Cleveland and helped lead the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season in 2020. 

He battled injuries in 2021, however, and his production on the field dipped as he posted an 83.1 passer rating – fourth lowest among the 30 QBs with at least 350 pass attempts – as Cleveland struggled to an 8-9 record, prompting the team to pursue Deshaun Watson in the trade market. 

Darnold spent three seasons with the Jets before being traded to the Panthers for draft picks last April. He won his first three starts with Carolina last season before finishing 4-7 with nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions and a 71.9 QB rating – one spot worse than Mayfield.