Erik ten Hag was furious with his side’s “unprofessional” display after Liverpool inflicted a 7-0 humiliation that equalled Manchester United’s heaviest-ever competitive defeat.
A week on from lifting the Carabao Cup and ending the club’s six-year wait for silverware, the Old Trafford giants were brought back down to earth with a bump by Jurgen Klopp’s Reds at a rocking Anfield on Sunday.
Cody Gakpo’s smart strike had Liverpool ahead at the break and nobody could have foreseen the way United would unravel as an even first half was followed by a shambolic second period.
Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah – who became Liverpool’s all-time leading Premier League scorer – ended the day with two goals apiece, with substitute Roberto Firmino completing a win that will live long in the memory of both clubs.
Sunday’s 7-0 Anfield annihilation equalled United’s record competitive defeat – against Blackburn in 1926, Aston Villa in 1930 and Wolves in 1931 – and infuriated Ten Hag.
“The result is quite obvious,” the Dutchman said. “It’s unprofessional.
“Today, first half, I think we were the better team. First half, we created the better chances and we had two one-on-ones with the goalie and they hadn’t.
“Then before half-time we make one mistake (in terms of) organisation and we concede a goal, so I think we were in the game. So, it was really a surprise for me that after half-time we so quickly gave the game away.
“First two goals, two defensive transition moments. First was a turnover, second was a counter. We make such bad decisions, a matter of decisions on the ball. That was with the first one obviously but then how we anticipate, how we concede that goal is really annoying.
“Then the third was a counter, also so unprofessional about decisions. Then it’s 3-0, then the game’s lost. Then as a team you have to stick together 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 us. I don’t think it’s Manchester United, so that’s really bad and poor.”
Ten Hag was seething as he spoke in the bowels of Anfield, telling the press conference that United’s players “didn’t cooperate anymore together and they didn’t fulfil their jobs” in the second half.
Asked if the players had offered an explanation about their second-half display, Ten Hag said: “No, I didn’t give them the chance until now. I think we have to talk about that.
“I have only given my opinion about it. We will talk about it tomorrow.
“But then I know this team will reset and we have to bounce back. We have shown in the past we can. I have some (similar experiences in my career) that are the bad days.
“But also (they) are the days if you do the right things, if you react with the right measures as a manager and as a team you can learn a lot from it, you can strengthen your mentality.”
Gakpo, the 23-year-old January recruit from PSV, marked his first appearance in this famous rivalry with a pair of sublime goals, with Nunez and Salah adding to the rout.
Salah became Liverpool’s record Premier League scorer and substitute Roberto Firmino also got in on the act, on what was a day of vindication for manager Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool’s German boss sees Gakpo and Nunez as vital to the team’s future, and against a ragged United defence they helped make it a day to savour for the hosts, whose win takes them above Newcastle United and into fifth place.
The Red Devils, seven days on from winning the League Cup at Wembley, were abject. They are seven points better off than Liverpool and remain third in the table, but they trail leaders Arsenal by 14 points and have only 13 games remaining. This will also take some getting over.
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the sixth goal. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool had most of the early possession, but the key chances in the opening half-hour were created by United, with Antony having the first when his low shot towards the left corner was pushed wide by Alisson.
United’s fullbacks then teed up big chances for Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
Fernandes flashed a header across goal and wide of the right post from Dalot’s far-post cross, before Luke Shaw’s delivery from the left found Rashford, whose first-time shot was weak.
Casemiro had the ball in the Liverpool net in the 42nd minute but had strayed offside, and the breakthrough came at the other end a minute later.
Andy Robertson played in Gakpo, who cut in from the left and beat a dawdling Raphael Varane before driving a 12-yard strike into the far corner.
Liverpool then made a dream start to the second half as more sloppy United defending resulted in Harvey Elliott crossing from the right, inside the penalty area, for Nunez to nod in from close range.
The third goal was Liverpool at their best. Salah occupied Lisandro Martinez and drew in Shaw, and Gakpo quietly ran into space before being picked out by his teammate, dashing into the 18-yard box and chipping past David de Gea from a tight angle.
It was 4-0 in the 66th minute as Salah smashed in off the underside of the bar after a fortuitous deflection into his path, and 5-0 nine minutes later as Nunez headed in Henderson’s cross.
Salah swept in the sixth in the 83rd minute, with United in total disarray, and Firmino, set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, drilled a seventh.
In the day’s other top-flight game, Nottingham Forest and Everton battled out a 2-2 draw, Brennan Johnson scoring twice for Forest to salvage a point after the Merseysiders had twice gone ahead in the first half through Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
At the time this column usually goes live next Monday morning, I’ll be in the stands at Selhurst Park watching Crystal Palace take on…
And just like that, another A-League regular season (sans one game) is in the books and we look ahead to the finals. Let's recap…
Salah was dropped from the starting side for the visit to London - and the striker was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp…
Liverpool have fallen further out of contention for the Premier League title - but that's perhaps the least of Jurgen Klopp's problems. Just as…
Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Feyenoord for their head coach Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.…
The past 18-24 months have been an enjoyable ride for Arsenal and their fan-base after almost a decade of turbulence. Mikel Arteta has been…
