You can always count on a Liverpool-Man United game to make headlines.
Previous fixtures have provided plenty of thrills and spills, and it was no different when the Red Devils visited Anfield to take on their old rivals this morning.
Photo via Twitter
The home side romped to a 7-0 (yes, seven) victory over United, with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah each scoring a brace, before Bobby Firmino put the cherry on the icing with a late strike.
To mark the occasion, here are seven talking points from Liverpool’s historic victory.
1. United’s joint-heaviest defeat
The loss at Anfield has equalled Man United’s biggest-ever defeats.
They previously lost by a similar seven-goal scoreline to Blackburn in 1926, Aston Villa in 1930 and Wolves in 1931.
This makes this morning’s result their biggest-ever loss in the Premier League era.
2. Another one for the record books
Photo via Twitter
Mo Salah’s double against United takes his Premier League tally for the Reds to 129.
This makes him the club’s all-time leading scorer in the league, surpassing Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler.
The Egyptian also extended his record as the Reds’ highest scorer against United…with 12 goals overall against the Old Trafford club.
3. Liverpool’s attack finally comes to life
Much was made of Cody Gakpo’s arrival at Liverpool earlier this season. The Dutch winger was brought in as a replacement for the prolific Sadio Mane, but was slow to find his form with his new club.
Against United, however, the Netherlands international turned on the style to not only stamp his mark individually, but also linked up well with fellow forwards Darwin Nunez and Salah.
If Gakpo wasn’t one to watch before this, he definitely is now.
As for Nunez, the Uruguayan sensation has now netted eight league goals in 19 league appearances since his summer arrival from Benfica.
4. Reprieve for Klopp
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had been the toast of the Anfield faithful after guiding them to the Premiership and Champions League titles in recent seasons.
However, he faced calls to be sacked earlier on in the current campaign, with his side at one point languishing in tenth place in the EPL, after being eliminated from the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
With the latest emphatic victory over United, however, Klopp has at the very least bought more time and goodwill for himself to salvage Liverpool’s season.
5. Casemiro and Rashford go missing for United
Casemiro and Marcus Rashford have been arguably United’s best performers this season.
The Brazilian playmaker has been pulling the strings at the heart of Erik Ten Hag’s midfield, while Rashford has been on a red-hot scoring streak since returning from the World Cup.
Both have been the ones the rest of the United players turn to when in need of inspiration, but unfortunately the dynamic duo were as good as ‘invisible’ against the Mighty Reds.
This will be an especially sore point for Casemiro, who had been expected to run riot at the middle of the park considering Liverpool’s midfield troubles this season.
6. Liverpool back in the race for the top four
Jurgen Klopp’s side have slowly but surely been clawing their way back from the mid-table mediocrity of early this season.
At one stage this campaign, even Europa League qualification seemed a distant dream for them.
With the win over United, however, Liverpool are now up to fifth in the league standings, just three points off the top four with a game in hand.
Reds supporters might not want to jinx it at this stage…but they might just see their side in Champions League action again come next season.
7. The end of United’s quadruple ‘dream’
Some within United’s ranks (especially the supporters) may have found themselves low-key dreaming of a quadruple run this season.
The club were on an 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions… they had just won the EFL Cup…were mathematically within reach of league leaders Arsenal…and were still in contention in the FA Cup and Europa League.
The humiliating loss to Liverpool, however, has brought them crashing back down to earth.
Instead of a title-run, United now find themselves 14 points adrift of the league leaders, with their ego given a battering for good measure.
While its true that Erik Ten Hag’s side can still end the season with more silverware, their next cup opponents (Fulham and Real Betis) will be very aware of the fact that United are not invincible, and have holes and vulnerabilities to be exploited.
