All inside the Theatre of Dreams perfectly observed a minute's silence before kick-off, to remember those affected by Thursday's Heaton Park Synagogue attack, after which the game got under way.
The Premier League meeting provided goalkeeper Senne Lammens with his United debut, following his deadline-day move from Belgian side Royal Antwerp this summer, and he marked the occasion with a clean sheet.
Mason Mount opened the scoring early in the first half with a tidy finish, which was added to on the half-hour mark when Benjamin Sesko poked home his second United goal.
Those two efforts proved sufficient to land the Reds all three points in the Saturday afternoon clash, although both goalkeepers - Lammens and his Dutch counterpart Robin Roefs - made good saves at key moments.