Meknes – Manchester United officially secured their return to the UEFA Champions League following a thrilling 3-2 victory over Liverpool on Sunday.
Under manager Michael Carrick, the team has now guaranteed a top-five finish in the Premier League, marking a major comeback for the club, as they haven’t played in Europe’s top competition since the 2023/24 season.
The match at Old Trafford began perfectly for United as Matheus Cunha scored an early goal off a quick rebound. Shortly after, Benjamin Sesko doubled the lead to 2-0 after his shot took a lucky deflection into the net.
Liverpool fought back in the second half, taking advantage of a defensive mistake that Dominik Szoboszlai transformed into a goal.
Another mistake, this time by goalkeeper Senne Lammens, gifted the ball to Alexis Mac Allister, who assisted Cody Gakpo for the equalizer.
With the match tied, Kobbie Mainoo scored the winning goal for United with a strike from outside the box, securing the victory and ending the game 3-2 for United.
The Red Devils needed just one point to qualify for the Champions League, but they secured all three with their win over Liverpool.
This success completes an impressive turnaround under Michael Carrick. Since taking over as a manager in January, he has won 10 out of 14 games to guarantee a top-five finish with three matches left to play.
The 44-year-old first joined Manchester United as a player in 2006, signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Tottenham. After a successful playing career and a stint as a coach, he returned to the club as manager in January 2026 to lead the team for the remainder of the season.
“It’s been a good run. We’ve beaten some very, very good teams and it’s been challenging. Sometimes we’ve won it in some ways, sometimes we’ve won it in other ways. I love doing what I’m doing. It’s a great position for me to be in and it feels pretty natural if I’m totally honest.” Carrick said during the post-match press conference.
United currently sit in 3rd place in the Premier League table, with this win bringing them to 64 points after 35 matches, and moving them 6 points clear of Liverpool and Aston Villa