Liverpool 7 - Manchester United 0
Gakpo - 43', 50'
Núñez - 47', 75'
Salah - 66', 83'
Firmino - 88'
Even the word "thrashing" seems somewhat understated in the 7-nil victory of Liverpool over Manchester United. Usually when you speak of a seven-goal-thriller, the result is 4-3 and rarely 5-2 but in this case for all seven goals to be scored by one side, is a once a season result. Even though Manchester United have locked away this year's League Cup trophy, reputations and silverware are worthless in any given fixture and this match, a 7-nil result is downright embarrassing. Taken in the aggregate over the last five years, the score now reads Liverpool 36 - Manchester United 2.
Even if a season is abjectly hopeless and rubbish, there are some fixtures which by themselves can redeem a world of hurt. For Liverpool fans those four fixtures tend to be the two against Everton and the two against Manchester United. The first is the friendly derby between brothers and cousins; who live next door. The second is almost like a battle between the forces of goodness and light against the forces of darkness and stink. The first is a pillow fight in a bedroom. The second is the gentleman's art of knife fighting in a room made of steel plate. Even to this day, the one goal that haunts my dreams is the greatest player of my lifetime, Eric Cantona's strike in the 1996 FA Cup Final to get past a Pooh-like David James. This fixture however, will rank up there as sweetly as the 2005 Champions League Final; whereas that was for silverware, this was against Manchester United.
There is very very little to say about the opening twenty-five minutes. Both sides looked timid and scared of the opposition and Manchester United held the ball for extended periods of time in their own half and well away from the home side. They could make lightning passes of 30 and 40 yards because they had enough space to park an entire fleet of buses but by the same token, playing with the ball 80 yards away from the goal that you want to put the ball into, helps no-one.
Occasionally when they did lunge forward, they managed to look snarling and menacing and both Fernandes and Rashford should have opened the account. Before the half-time break, this match looked like a rather dour affair and the deadlock wasn't even broken until Cody Gakpo slotted home the pass from Andy Robertson to put Liverpool 1-0 up. Before this both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford had missed two perfectly reasonable chances each. What could have very easily been Liverpool 0 - Man United 4 at the break, was ruefully and impotently wasted.
After the half-time break, even just my page of notes tell a tale of devastation wrought from the stuff of nightmares.
47' - Dawrin Núñez header on the end of Harvey Elliott's cross with postage on it, is tapped by a hapless David de Gea.
50' - Mo Salah dazzles Lisandro Martinez to flick one out to Gakpo, who elegantly scored his brace.
66' - Man United attempted to break out of their own half; pressing as far as 30 yards out from Liverpool's goal line but this was duly inoculated and after a few crosses, Mo Salah struck one high and across De Gea.
75' - Dawrin Núñez pots home another header on the end of Jordan Henderson's cross.
83' - Salah in scrambling play, somehow broke out of the defence of two players and then broke two records with one goal. Salah became Liverpool's highest Premier League goalscorer, passing Robbie Fowler to score 129. This was also his 12th goal against Manchester United; making him the highest Liverpool goalscorer against them.
88' - Roberto Firmino drilled one home from inside the 6-yard box, to score Liverpool's seventh.
As Man United didn't score at all, this now becomes the biggest victory between these two sides; beating Liverpool's 7-1 in 1895/96.
This win now puts Liverpool 3 points behind Tottenham Hotspur but with a game in hand; which means that if they win that fixture, Liverpool are back in the hunt for a European Champions League place.
What I found unexplainable was that Manchester United always looked organised. Even as the score rolled on to 4, 5, and 6, they still managed to look composed albeit outclassed and outplayed. It was as if Liverpool, who'd forgotten who they were and had been absent for a lot of this season, suddenly remembered all at once and showed up with all of the intensity and firepower of a nuclear airstrike. Liverpool were a team at full song, playing in front of The Kop at full song, against a top-3 enemy (Everton is always No.1 but Man Utd and Leeds Utd sometimes swap).
Perhaps Man United must have thought that 5-0 at Old Trafford last season was awful but 7-0 at an absolutely ecstatic Anfield must truly be painful. This result will likely send two shock waves through football. Firstly at Old Trafford who despite scoring silverware now have to consider their Europa League match against Real Betis carefully. Secondly, Liverpool should take this as a chance to salvage a season; which includes trying to thump Real Madrid which they will need to do, to stay in the Champions League. If Jurgen Klopp wanted his side to rise to the occasion, then the Royal Liver Bird has certainly done so.
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