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Zim teen Isaac Mabaya plays first match in Liverpool vs Manchester United friendly

Zimbabwean teenager Isaac Mabaya made his first senior team debut when he played in Liverpool’s starting XI against Manchester United in a friendly match in Thailand today.

The right back featured against a star studied Manchester side that won the encounter 4 nil.

Mabaya’s poor clearance in the 12th minute resulted in United’s first goal.

This came after Bruno Fernandes clipped in a cross which was cut out by Nat Phillips into the area. Isaac Mabaya only managed to knock the ball clear as far as the waiting Sancho, who confidently slotted the ball into the far bottom right corner for the opener.

Later on, Fred and Anthony Martial increased United’s lead against a Liverpool side that made 21 changes across the 90 minutes, including half-hour cameos for new signings Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho.

Young Uruguayan Facundo Pellistri added a fourth near the end as, in front of over 50,000 enthusiastic supporters in the Thai capital, Liverpool were made to pay for a combination of their profligacy at one end and defensive errors at the other.

TEAMS

MANCHESTER UNITED:

(4-2-3-1) De Gea 6 (Heaton 68, 6); Dalot 7 (Wan-Bissaka 46, 6), Varane 6 (Bailly 46, 8), Lindelof 6 (Telles 46, 5), Shaw 6 (Malacia 46, 6); McTominay 6 (Iqbal 46, 5), Fred 9 (Savage 46, 6); Sancho 8 (Pellistri 46, 7), Fernandes 7 (van de Beek 46, 5), Rashford 5 (Elanga 46, 6); Martial 7 (Diallo 46, 7)

Subs not used: Laird, Chong, Kovar, Garnacho, Hannibal

Goals: Sancho (12), Fred (30), Martial (33), Pellistri (76)

Bookings: None

Coach: Erik ten Hag 8

LIVERPOOL:

(4-3-3) Alisson 5 (Adrian 46, 6); Mabaya 6 (Frauendorf 32, 6 (Alexander-Arnold 62, 6)), Phillips 3 (Matip 32, 6 (Konate 61, 4)), Gomez 5 (Williams 32, 4 (Van Dijk 61, 5)), Chambers 7 (Tsimikas 32, 6 (Robertson 62, 6)); Henderson 4 (Clarkson 32, 5 (Fabinho 61, 6)), Morton 5 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 32, 8 (Hill 62, 6)), Carvalho 7 (Milner 32, 7 (Thiago 61, 6)); Elliott 6 (Bajcetic 32, 6 (Keita 62, 6)), Diaz 8 (Jones 32, 6 (Salah 61, 7)), Firmino 4 (Clark 32, 5 (Nunez 62, 6))

Subs not used: Davies (GK), Mrozek (GK); Norris, van der Berg

 

 

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