Liverpool at home is not a game for the faint-hearted, and Diogo Dalot wore his heart on his sleeve on Monday night.
Manchester United finally picked up their first win of the Premier League season, and their first competitive victory under Erik ten Hag against the bitterest of rivals.
Central to this victory was the team’s defensive performance, showcasing the kind of intensity that has been lacking for so long at Old Trafford.
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The back four especially were imperious. Raphaël Varane and Lisandro Martínez played the first of hopefully many games together and their defensive wall probably could’ve covered the distance between Varane’s native France and Martínez’s Argentina.
Tyrell Malacia made his competitive debut for the Red Devils, up against arguably the best forward in the Premier League, and came out of it looking like a signing of the summer contender.
But more attention needs to be given to Diogo Dalot, who up against one of the league’s most dangerous forwards in Luis Díaz produced by far the greatest defensive performance of his career.
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From the moment the ref’s whistle blew, the Portuguese full back was locked in. Within the first 10 seconds, he dominantly rose over Díaz to win a header as Liverpool went long from kick off.
In any game, but big games especially, the winner of the first challenge between two direct opponents gains a huge psychological advantage, and Dalot never let this advantage go.
Every time the Colombian forward got on the ball, Dalot was onto him within seconds and battled him for every ball like his own life depended on it.
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Just under nine minutes into the game, Dalot followed Díaz into his own half as the forward dropped to pick the ball up and Dalot completely took him out.
Whilst a foul, it was not a bad one to commit. Firstly, it wasn’t in a dangerous position. Secondly, whilst a dangerous attack may not have been brewing, Dalot was letting his opponent know he was there. Another mental victory early on.
He continued to deal with the Liverpool forward with strength and aggression, not letting him get anything from their duels.
He also showcased his usual positional intelligence and aerial prowess, which helped United in some dangerous scenarios.
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Throughout the night the 23 year old made four clearances (two headed) and three interceptions, putting a halt to multiple Liverpool attacks.
Typically in defence, where he struggles is one vs one scenarios. He is often easy to beat in these, and Díaz is usually one of the most dangerous players in these scenarios.
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But throughout the night, Dalot would not let his opponent get the better of him. He completed three tackles out of three attempted and recovered the ball three times too.
Dalot’s aggression whilst handling Díaz was a large factor as to why the forward was so limited on the night, and whilst Dalot usually plays with a lot of intensity for United he channeled it perfectly in this game.
Moments after this play, Dalot came up with another big defensive play against his opponent. This one being maybe his most important on the night.
Some of his interventions even led to good transition opportunities for United, one example coming from him tracking Robertson’s run behind him and regaining possession for United.
After this, the ball went to Eriksen and after clever play from him and Anthony Martial they set off on a dangerous transition that nearly led to Rashford playing Fernandes clean through on Robertson’s side.
All throughout the night, it was plays like these which made Dalot so crucial to United’s win and for this he deserves his flowers.
The buildup to the match was dominated by protests against the Glazer family’s ownership of the club, with thousands turning out in support of this.
It seemed that the players responded to this fan passion with the performance, and Dalot certainly fed off the crowd.
A year ago, many felt that Diogo Dalot had no future at Manchester United. But in that year he has not only won his place in the side, but become a standout player.
Off the pitch too, both his mentality and sense of accountability are commendable and it is not surprising that Erik ten Hag has taken to the player so quickly.
Liverpool was maybe his best performance for the club so far, and aged just 23 the best is yet to come for Diogo Dalot.
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Liverpool, Diogo Dalot, Luis Diaz, Erik Ten Hag
Yusuf Haq