Record at Anfield: Liverpool underlined their ambitions for a place in the Champions League with an impressive thrashing of Manchester United. Coach Jürgen Klopp’s team beat Manchester United, unbeaten for eleven games, 7-0 (1-0) after an outstanding game on Sunday, where Marcel Sabitzer came on as a substitute in the 77th minute. It was the biggest success for the Reds in this prestigious comparison.
The “Red Devils”, on the other hand, had never lost so heavily in the Premier League before. In 1931 there was a 0:7 against Wolverhampton. Double packs from Cody Gakpo (43′, 50′), Darwin Nunez (47′, 75′) and Mohamed Salah (66′, 83′) as well as a goal by Roberto Firmino (88′) at Anfield ensured the in the amount of respect it deserves. Salah is now Liverpool’s all-time Premier League goalscorer with 129 goals in 205 games. Fifth Liverpool reduced the gap to third ManUnited to seven points. Fourth-placed Tottenham, who have played a game more, are just three points away.
“We know the result is crazy,” said Klopp after the historic success on Sky Sports. “It was the boost we wanted. We’re on the right track with that. We want everyone to know that we’re still here. That wasn’t the case for a while, but today we showed who we can and must be we’ll do it from now on.”
Both teams had good chances in an intense game, but the ball did not find its way into the net for the first time until the 42nd minute. Casemiro headed in from a free kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Practically in return, Liverpool took the lead. After a through ball from Andy Robertson, Gakpo passed Raphael Varane and finished well into the far post.
Shortly after the restart, the “Reds” followed suit. A cross from Harvey Elliot headed Nunez over the line. Moments later, Salah set up fellow striker Gakpo, who lobbed the ball over David de Gea from a tight angle and completed his brace. As a result, United completely lost order and slid into a debacle.
Salah slotted the ball over the underside of the bar with his weaker right foot. Fifteen minutes before the end, Nunez headed in again to make it 5-0. Salah finally filled the half-dozen with his historic goal. The Egyptian surpassed Robbie Fowler’s previous record. Substitute Firmino brought about the final score. Many of the Manchester fans who had arrived had already made their way to the exit. Last April, Liverpool had already won the English classic at Anfield 4-0. The Reds’ highest win over their rivals was a 7-1 win in 1895, when both clubs were still in the English second tier.
“It was a reality check,” said United coach Erik ten Hag to the BBC. “It wasn’t our standard. We didn’t play as a team. It was unprofessional.”