Manchester United earned a vital win over Liverpool, collecting three points that guaranteed Champions League football next season 

The hosts started quickly and went ahead inside seven minutes thanks to Matheus Cunha. Returning after missing the Brentford match, he made an immediate impact by striking a clean half-volley from the edge of the box to open the scoring.

United soon added a second through Benjamin Šeško. Bruno Fernandes flicked the ball into his path, although he was not officially awarded the assist, and despite questions over a possible handball, VAR upheld the goal due to insufficient evidence to rule it out.

Liverpool came out with intent in the second half and drew level within 10 minutes. Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo both found the net, capitalising on defensive errors to bring the game back to 2-2.

Kobbie Mainoo then produced the decisive moment late on, scoring with just over 10 minutes left to play. United held firm in the closing stages, defending deep under sustained pressure as Liverpool pushed forward, and ultimately secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory.

At the start of the season under Ruben Amorim, Kobbie Mainoo was seemingly frozen out of the squad, not starting any games under the Portuguese head coach. As results continued to be poor, calls for Mainoo to be given a chance only got louder. 

In hopes of picking up game time ahead of the World Cup in the summer, there were even rumors that the 21-year-old was seeking a loan move away from Old Trafford, but United's January plans went up in flames after Amorim was dismissed at the start of the month, with Michael Carrick replacing him.

Mainoo was instantly given a starting spot in Carrick's opening game against Manchester City, and with the spotlight on the young midfielder, he excelled in a dominant performance against their rivals, and has not looked back since, partnering up well with Casemiro in the middle of the park.

Speaking on BBC Sport, Micah Richards highlighted Carrick's role in Mainoo's upturn in form since taking over in January. "Watching Kobbie Mainoo play, you really can see the difference Michael Carrick has made, in terms of the previous manager not believing in him, and then the new manager coming in and giving him so much confidence. You can see that self-belief in his performances.

"It is one thing people saying that Mainoo should play, and him coming in and backing that up, because there was big pressure on him coming back in the team - all the United fans wanted him back in the team but when you are picked, you still have to perform, he has done that. Mainoo has signed a new contract this week and he is back in the England squad (in March) and, with the World Cup in the summer, it feels like he has hit form at the right time.The next step for him now is just to be more consistent because when he first came into the team I thought he was going to be a really special player. For a while, though, I wasn't sure what type of player he was going to be - was he more of a six, or a number eight?  

"If he can nail down that number six role and actually be that defensive midfielder, and then drive forward at the right time as he did for his goal today, then that is where his future is as a really top player."

As INEOS continue to search for who they deem to be the right man to lead the team into next season, they may already have their answer in Michael Carrick.

The victory over Liverpool means he has now won 10 out of his 14 games in charge at Manchester United, with just two defeats in that period.

While that resume looks impressive already, once you consider that United have beaten Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and now Liverpool, it looks all the more impressive.

Despite insisting that he would only take charge of the squad until the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season, it's clear to see that the players have fully bought into Carrick and how he wants to play. Barring a truly elite managerial candidate that could become available in the summer, there can surely be no better candidate than the former United midfielder.