CNN
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This season has been one of trials and tribulations for Liverpool and their beleaguered fans, but there may still be a light at the end of the tunnel as Jurgen Klopp’s men produced truly outstanding performances to tear apart Manchester United at Anfield.
Doubles by Cody Gacbo, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah, plus a late Roberto Firmino goal, ensured an absolutely dominant 7-0 win in a Premier League grudge match, marking the biggest win in the history of this fixture.
It was a sober afternoon for Erik ten Hag’s side, who have been in fantastic form since the season resumed after the World Cup and at one point looked as if they might start to put pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal at the top. from the table.
Klopp had described United as a “results machine” in the run-up to this match and even in his wildest dreams, the German would certainly not have imagined a performance and result like this.
Not only will it be considered one of the best ever victories for Liverpool in this match, but it will be one of the greatest Premier League results in history and one that will be remembered for decades to come.
“There are no words,” a jubilant Klopp told Sky Sports after the win. “Amazing football. Outstanding. The start of the game was exactly what we needed – super front foot, very lively, very active. We played our best football against the team soundly.”
“The second half, the start was good, the end was good, everything was good. This is football, it can happen.
“As I said before the game, United have had a great season and we’re not really happy with our season so far, but it doesn’t mean anything for the game because you still have to play this season and today we were obviously the better side for the moment and got three very important points. Feeling good.”
Although the Liverpool game was exceptional, Manchester United was just as messy.
Ten Hag has dealt with a number of setbacks since joining in April 2022, but this is surely the nadir in his time in charge of the club and kills any lingering hope United had of inserting themselves into the title race.
Former United captain Gary Neville described the performance as “messy” and “embarrassing” in Sky Sports’ coverage of the game and there will have to be some serious soul-searching in the United dressing room if the team is to come back from this.
“We’ve had setbacks in the past and we have to come back again because that’s what Manchester United are all about,” a sad Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports after the match. “We can go down but we have to come back because we know how good we are.
“We know we didn’t show up today and we didn’t perform at our level, but we know that this team is really good and can do really good things. Today, that wasn’t the case, but I’m sure this team will continue to do great things with the fans which I have to appreciate for their support.
“We set a good standard for ourselves and now it’s just about getting back at it because the fans deserve it and we deserve it. We did a lot better than we did today in the past and we’ll do a lot better in the future.”
But that was Liverpool’s day, with a raucous Anfield giving the players standing ovations at all times, which undoubtedly made the moment all the more sweet given the team’s struggles this season.
To add to the occasion, Salah’s goal took his Premier League tally with Liverpool to 129, surpassing Robbie Fowler’s club record.
“It’s something very special,” Salah told Sky Sports. “I can’t lie, that record has been on my mind since I came here. I think after my first season I’ve always been chasing that record, so to get it today against United with that score is incredible.
“I’m going home to celebrate with the family, have chamomile tea, and go to sleep.”
Despite all the problems that Liverpool have faced this season, the team is now advancing to fifth place in the league and is only three points behind Tottenham in the fourth and final place in the Champions League with a match in hand.
“It was the push we wanted, it puts us in the right direction,” added Klopp. “Everyone should know we’re still around. It hasn’t been like that for a while, but tonight was a fitting show of what we can and should be from now on.”
The win also comes at the best possible time, as Liverpool try to build some momentum ahead of their Champions League rematch against Real Madrid in 10 days’ time.
Any chance of turning a 5-2 deficit at the Bernabeu still seemed slim, but Liverpool and their fans will now have more hope than ever that this unlikely feat can be achieved.
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