CNN
—
This season has been one of trials and tribulations for Liverpool and its fans, but there may still be light at the end of the tunnel as Jurgen Klopp’s men produced a truly spectacular performance to tear Manchester United apart at Anfield.
Braces from Cody Kakpo, Darvin Nunes and Mo Salah and a late goal from Roberto Firmino sealed an utterly dominant 7-0 win in this Premier League grudge match, marking the biggest win in the history of this storied competition.
It was a quiet afternoon for Erik ten Hoag’s side, who have been in terrific form since the season resumed following the World Cup and looked likely to start putting pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal at some point. of the table.
Klopp had made United a “decision machine” this match and even in his wildest dreams the German surely would not have imagined such a performance and result.
It will go down as one of Liverpool’s all-time greatest wins in the competition, but also one of the greatest Premier League results in history and one that will be remembered for decades.
“No words,” Klopp told Sky Sports after the win. “Fantastic game of football. Excellent. The start of the game was exactly what we needed – super front foot, super lively, super active. We played good football against an in-form team.
“The second half, the start was good, the end was good, everything was good. That’s football, it can happen.
“As I said before the game, United have played a super season, we’re not happy with our season so far, but that doesn’t mean anything for the game because you still have to play it and today we’re clear. The best side for the moment and we’ve got three very important points. It’s good.
As Liverpool were all games, Manchester United were equally shambolic.
Den Haag has suffered a number of setbacks since joining in April 2022, but this is certainly the nadir of his time in charge of the club and extinguishes any lingering hopes of inserting himself into United’s title race.
Former United captain Gary Neville labeled Sky Sports’ coverage of the game a “confusion” and a “disgrace” and there will need to be some serious soul-searching in the United dressing room if the team is to recover from this.
“We’ve had setbacks in the past and we have to come back because that’s what Manchester United is about,” a dejected Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports after the game. “We can go down but we have to get back up because we know how good we are.
“We know that today we didn’t show and we didn’t perform at our level, but we know that this team is very good and can do good things. Today, it wasn’t like that, but I’m sure that together with the fans, this team will do even better things, and I want their support. To be appreciated.
“We’ve set a good standard for ourselves and now it’s about getting back because the fans deserve it and we deserve it. We’ve done better in the past than we did today and we’ll do better in the future.
But it was Liverpool’s day and a raucous Anfield crowd roared back at full-time, a moment that undoubtedly sweetened all of the team’s struggles this season.
To add further luster to the occasion, Salah’s two goals took his Premier League tally for Liverpool to 129, breaking Robbie Fowler’s record for the club.
“It’s very special,” Salah told Sky Sports of his achievement. “Can’t lie, this record has been on my mind ever since I got here. I think I’ve always been chasing that record since my first season, so to get that result against United today is incredible.
“I’m going home to celebrate with family and have neem tea and sleep.”
Despite all the problems Liverpool have faced this season, the team has now moved up to fifth in the league, three points behind Tottenham for the fourth and final Champions League spot with a game in hand.
“It’s the motivation we wanted, it puts us in the right direction,” Klopp added. “Everybody should know we’re still around. It hasn’t been for a while, but tonight was a perfect showcase of what we can be and what we want to be.”
The win comes at a great time as Liverpool look to build some momentum ahead of their Champions League return against Real Madrid in 10 days’ time.
Any chance of overturning a 5-2 deficit at the Bernabeu still looks slim, but Liverpool and their fans are more confident now than ever that they can accomplish the improbable feat.