Manchester United suffered a huge blow at Anfield last season, when they lost 5-0 to their greatest rivals Liverpool. After a much better campaign and a League Cup triumph the week before the match, no one imagined it was possible to get an even worse result at Anfield this time around.
But Liverpool managed to destroy Man United 7-0. This was a match in which United looked like they had given up too quickly, with Jurgen Klopp’s side profiting from a great day in the office from his strikers. All of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez managed to score a brace, with the substitute Roberto Firmino adding the seventh to United’s misery. Here is what we learned from this horrific result.
Another Disgrace At Anfield
After a terrible outing at this very stadium the season before, United managed to outdo themselves. This time, things were different in terms of when the collapse occured. While the last time, it was a horrific first-half which resulted in four conceded goals, this time, Liverpool went ahead only in the final minutes of the first half. But then the performance quickly turned sour after the break, with Liverpool scoring through Nunez and Gakpo inside the first five minutes. From then on, things started getting worse. Series of fouls and yellow cards preceded a complete disaster and the attitudes from most of the players were below par.
Too Many Cheap Mistakes
Throughout the second half, United made too many defensive mistakes which cost the team dearly. After failing to clear the ball and losing possession way to easily inside their own box, United conceded the second and third goal. Antony was the one to give the ball away in the build-up to Liverpool’s fourth, while the team remained lethargic in the goals that followed. This is something Ten Hag will have to work on with the players – getting beaten by a better team is one thing, getting humilliated like this something else entirely.
Gakpo Shines In Front Of Ten Hag
While Antony was visibly wasteful in the final third for the entire 90 minutes, it was Cody Gakpo on the other side who shined throughout. The Dutch forward started in attack between Salah and Nunez, scoring two goals, right in front of Erik Ten Hag, the manager who was interested in signing him. Last summer, when United were looking for reinforcements, it was on Ten Hag and the club to choose between Antony and Gakpo. They decided to sign the Brazilian from Ajax, who still has not managed to show everything he has and why his transfer was worth 100 million euros. Gakpo, on the other side, was a cheaper, albeit different option, and he joined Liverpool following a brilliant World Cup. Now with his great performance against United, he might have made Ten Hag think about what could have been.
Move On Quickly
This was humiliating and pathetic, if we are completely honest, but a freak result such as this one must be archived quickly. United will face Real Betis in the Europa League next Thursday, with the Premier League challenges awaiting too. They will face Southampton next weekend, which will be a good opportunities to try to quickly forget this horrible result.
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