Liverpool crush Man United with historic 7-0 win that puts them on course for top-four finish

Liverpool recorded their biggest ever win against Manchester United as they thrashed their traditional rivals 7-0 at Anfield.

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Goals from Darwin Nunez (2), Cody Gakpo (2), Mohamed Salah (2) and Roberto Firmino saw Liverpool win three points in the top four, but they also ended speculation that third-placed United can still win the championship. Premier League. The defeat means United have only scored one goal in their last seven visits to Liverpool and have not won at Anfield since Wayne Rooney won in January 2016.

Fast reaction

1. Liverpool beat Manchester United with a reality check to get close to the top four

Sunday’s game at Anfield proved to be a must-see on TV as the Reds’ remarkable 7-0 win set Jurgen Klopp’s team on track for Champions League qualification.

A week after they ended their six-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup – a success that sparked talk of a quad this season – United were humiliated by their archrivals at Anfield. Two goals each from Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah and a late goal from Roberto Firmino propelled Klopp’s team to fifth position, three points behind Tottenham but with a game in hand, and cemented Liverpool as favorites at the finish line fourth.

The irony for United was that they controlled most of the first half and squandered good chances before Gakpo gave Liverpool the lead in the 43rd minute. From that point on, United collapsed – 3-0 by the 50th minute – and they ended up losing even more than their disastrous results against Liverpool last season, when they lost 5-0 and 4-0.

United have scored just one goal in their last seven games at Anfield and have not won away from Liverpool since 2016. This was supposed to be the day they faced their old rivals on equal terms for the first time in years, but it wasn’t. ended like the same old story. By the end of the game, Liverpool fans were chanting “we want eight” to prove the extent of their dominance.

While the defeat won’t affect United’s third-place position in the league, the result for Liverpool is huge. They didn’t seem to make it into the top four, now they’re chasing Tottenham and it looks like they’re about to rise above Antonio Conte’s team.

2. Ten Hag suffers for a rare tactical error

Erik ten Hag has rightfully earned praise this season for transforming Manchester United with his tactical awareness and ability to make decisions from the touchline, but he made a costly tactical error at Anfield. Starting with Marcus Rashford as a lone striker, Bruno Fernandes on the left and Wout Weghorst as the number 10, the United manager let Liverpool off the hook, in particular by allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to show defensive weaknesses.

Fernandes is a natural No. 10 and the Portugal international is best suited to this role to create chances for those ahead of him. But he lacks the pace to play wide, and his presence in that position meant that Alexander-Arnold had one of his easiest games of the season. If Rashford played wide, it would force Alexander-Arnold to deal with someone running at him and the gaps he often leaves behind.

As for Weghorst, the Dutch striker has played in the position before, but by using a loan striker from Burnley in the position, Ten Hag pulled Fernandes away from where he could have been most effective.

Besides, there was no logic to Ten Hag’s tactics. They made United less efficient and gave Liverpool the unexpected bonus of making the home team’s defense easier. By the time Ten Hag changed his approach in the second half, it was already too late as United were 3-0 down and heading for an even bigger defeat.

Perhaps defeat will ultimately play into the hands of Ten Hag. Some of his team’s weaknesses were exposed at Anfield, namely the lack of a suitable centre-forward and reliable right-back, so perhaps this will give United some realism back to counter the optimism of the new era at the club.

3. Gakpo and Nunes show Liverpool have a bright future

Darwin Nunes and Cody Gakpo have struggled to make an instant impact on Liverpool since their arrival this season, but their performances against United have shown they have a bright future at Anfield.

Gakpo, 23, has scored four goals in his last six games for Liverpool after failing to score in his first six weeks at the club following his move from PSV Eindhoven on 1 January. Nunes, also 23, has now scored four goals in his last four games for the club after going through a difficult period following his club-record £85m transfer from Benfica.

The two forwards are still raw and have yet to reach their potential, but they are clearly talented players who will play a big part in Liverpool’s future. Both are strong and fast, with determination to go to the net, which can sometimes lead to them making hasty decisions and missing out on good opportunities. But those rough edges soften with every performance, and playing alongside Mohamed Salah, one of the best strikers in the world, seems to speed up the process.

Gakpo and Nunes are different players from the ones they signed to replace Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, but don’t bet they’ll have the same success at Liverpool in the coming years.

Best and Worst Performers

BEST

– Cody Steele, FW, Liverpool: The Liverpool striker has not immediately settled at Anfield since his arrival in January, but he won against a side that tried to sign him last summer.

– Andy Robertson, defender, Liverpool: Great Gakpo pass to Liverpool’s first goal. One of the few Liverpool players who has remained consistent this season.

– Lisandro Martinez, defender, Manchester United: Despite a decisive defeat, Martinez was an outstanding defender for United and his awareness helped bring the score down.

WORST

– Bruno Fernandes, midfielder, Manchester United: Erik ten Hag was deployed on the left, but the role was not suited to the United midfielder. The Portugal international has been feeling unwell since Christian Eriksen pulled out with an injury in January.

– Diogo Dalot, defender, Manchester United: Caught on Liverpool’s first goal, which caused the collapse of United. Improved this season, but his level is more of a backup full-back than first choice.

– Marcus Rashford, FW, Manchester United: Missed a great chance to put United ahead in the first half. The game through the center did not help, and not to the left.

Highlights and Notable Moments

It’s hard to say which goals were the best to show off the Reds’ superb day at Anfield, but two quick goals early in the second half set the game beyond doubt and gave them the opportunity to go on and score seven times. Nunes and Gakpo become a couple…

Well spent Sunday ❤️ pic.twitter.com/YDoNwS9B9h

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 5, 2023

After all, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one can be worth 7,000.

Well, that was fast! Nunez and Gakpo increase the score to 3:0!#MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/ncGV66vE4k

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 5, 2023

After the match: what the players/managers said

“Today you could see the energy levels. Today was a good performance.” – Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.

“We must remain humble. We are not in the position we would like to be, but hopefully this will give us a big boost. [On his goalscoring record]: “It’s very special. I can’t lie. It has always been on my mind since I came here. I’m going home with my family to drink chamomile tea and celebrate.” – Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.

“These were not our standards. We didn’t play as a team. It was unprofessional. Yes [I am angry]. Definitely. I’m surprised because I’ve seen in the last weeks and months that this team is resilient and determined to win. In the second half, we didn’t have a winning attitude at all. We didn’t stick to the plan and didn’t do our job. We didn’t track and it was really unprofessional. We’ve seen in the past, we can bounce back. After Brentford, after Manchester City. This is certainly a strong failure and unacceptable. I’m really disappointed and angry about this. This is a reality check. We have to take it seriously.” – Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag

“The first half was a bit wild. But we scored an incredible goal, what an end… second half, good start and good finish… It is important that we really perform and all the guys come out and score, Bobby comes on the field and scores. [Jota] could score. All the best performances. It was perfect. Everyone should feel us, everyone should know that we are still around. This is who we should be from now on.” – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Key statistics (provided by Sportzshala Stats & Information research)

– Mohamed Salah: 129 goals for Liverpool in the Premier League is the most in the club’s history.

– Liverpool have beaten United 17-1 in their last eight meetings at Anfield (all competitions).

– Manchester United conceded 7 goals in a match for the first time in Premier League history.

– David De Gea: conceded 7+ goals in one game for the first time in his career (578 games played)

– The 7-goal defeat is the biggest in club history for Manchester United. -0 against Blackburn in April 1926)

– Liverpool: extended their home unbeaten streak against Manchester United to 7 games, the longest match in the First Division since 9 in the 1970-79 season.

Next

Liverpool: The Reds have a full week to prepare for their Premier League trip to Bournemouth (March 11), which they have already beaten 9-0 at Anfield this season. After that, Jurgen Klopp & Co. will hope they can work similar magic in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Real Madrid (March 15) with White holding a 5-2 lead from the first meeting at Anfield.

Manchester United: Eric Ten Hag is hopeful his team can brush off Sunday’s historic defeat given some…