March 6 – Manchester United have lost more Premier League matches against arch-rivals Liverpool than they have versus any other side in the competition’s history.
But no-one in their right mind could have predicted Sunday’s 7-0 demolition that sent shockwaves across the sport in what was one of the most eagerly anticipated globally watched fixtures.
Under their Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag, widely lauded for transforming their fortunes, United had been one of the form teams of English football. They arrived at Anfield unbeaten in 11 games but slumped to their worst competitive defeat in more than 90 years.
They remain third in the league, lifted the League Cup a week ago and are still in contention for the FA Cup and Europa League in what still has the potential to be a terrific season.
But Ten Hag was not looking anywhere near that far after his worst-ever defeat as a manager.
“That for me is so unprofessional,” the former Ajax boss charged after United endured their worst nightmare.
“I’m really disappointed and angry. We let our fans down. As a squad, as a team, you cannot allow this.
“You have to stick together and support each other and fight for each other. And that is what we didn’t do. And that was a surprise for me. I haven’t seen this from my team. I don’t think it’s Manchester United.”
“I know this team will reset and we have to bounce back and we have shown in the past we can.”
For a resurgent Liverpool, who until recently endured a hugely disappointing season by their own high standards, a Champions League spot now looks a realistic possibility as they leapfrogged Newcastle into fifth, three points behind Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand.
“It was one of the best performances for a long, long time. Everybody saw how good the boys can be,” said Klopp. “Freak result, top performance.”
Mo Salah, who netted twice, became Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League with 129 goals in 205 appearances.
“It’s very special, I can’t lie. This record was in my mind since I came here,” Salah told Sky.
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