Man United beat Liverpool 3-2 to secure Champions League qualification

Kobbie Mainoo's late strike earns a thrilling victory after bitter rivals Liverpool had fought back from two goals down. Man United beat Liverpool 3-2 to secure Champions League qualification | Football News | Al Jazeera Listen Listen (4 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebook x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP Published On 3 May 2026 3 May 2026 Manchester United secured Champions League football next season as Kobbie Mainoo’s strike earned a thrilling 3-2 victory over old rivals Liverpool. United were 2-0 up inside 15 minutes on Sunday through Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, but imploded after the break to allow Arne Slot’s men to level with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo before Mainoo secured the win. list of 4 items end of list A return to Europe’s elite football competition after a two-year absence and another big game win furthers Michael Carrick’s case to continue as United boss next season. Mainoo has embodied the upturn in United’s fortunes since Carrick took charge in January.

Third-placed United open up a six-point lead over Liverpool and are guaranteed to finish in the top five. Despite an 11th league defeat of the season, Liverpool likely need only three points from their three remaining games to also secure a place in the Champions League. Slot’s side arrived at Old Trafford depleted without the forward trio of Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak through injury. United sensed blood and were well worthy of their early two-goal lead. The Brazilian’s strike flicked off Alexis MacAllister to give Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman no chance.

Advertisement The waves of United attack kept coming and Sesko appealed for a penalty after failing to beat Woodman from Bruno Fernandes’ precise pass. Seconds later the Slovenian bundled the ball over the line from Fernandes’ header back across goal. Gakpo curled wide on one of the many occasions Liverpool were able to pierce the heart of the Red Devils’ midfield. Sesko was replaced by Amad Diallo at half-time and the Ivorian almost immediately gifted Liverpool a route back into the game. Szoboszlai pounced on Amad’s loose pass and ran from inside his own half unopposed before slotting into the bottom corner.

United were architects of their own downfall again for the equaliser. This time goalkeeper Senne Lammens’ pass was picked off by Mac Allister, who fed Szoboszlai and the Hungarian coolly teed up Gakpo for a tap in. United’s first league double over Liverpool since the 2015-16 season completes a remarkable turnaround in the two sides’ fortunes from a year ago. Liverpool finished 14 places and 42 points ahead of their rivals on their way to equalling United’s record of 20 English top-flight titles last season. Carrick has also beaten Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in his short reign and now delivered his primary goal with the riches of the Champions League to make his case hard to ignore.

“That’s what we showed today.” In Sunday’s earlier game, Bournemouth boosted their European hopes with a thumping 3-0 Premier League win over woeful Crystal Palace. Brazilian winger Rayan completed the scoring 13 minutes from time as Andoni Iraola’s side stretched their remarkable unbeaten run to 15 top-flight games in convincing fashion. Advertisement Palace’s visit to the Vitality Stadium was sandwiched between their two-legged Conference League semifinal against Shakhtar Donetsk, which they lead 3-1 on aggregate. aj-logo aj-logo aj-logo Advertisement Kobbie Mainoo's late strike earns a thrilling victory after bitter rivals Liverpool had fought back from two goals down. Man United beat Liverpool 3-2 to secure Champions League qualification