Liverpool delivered a stunning performance that left Manchester United in despair on Sunday night, condemning their fiercest rivals to their worst-ever defeat in the history of the Premier League. The Reds hit the Old Trafford outfit for seven, smashing several records in the process.
The defeat was a severe reality check for United, whose impressive form under manager Erik ten Hag recently saw them win the Carabao Cup. At Anfield on Sunday, the Red Devils were merely a shadow of themselves under the Dutch coach and were handed a harsh punishment for their inability to turn up to the party.
In retrospect, a different script could have unravelled had Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford properly utilize two good opportunities. However, Liverpool welcomed the lifeline handed to them by the inefficiency of the pair and were subsequently ruthless in dealing with the visitors.
Cody Gakpo instigated the onslaught with a well-placed finish on the stroke of half-time to put Liverpool in front and it was practically a one-way traffic when Darwin Nunez got the Reds' second in the early minutes of the second half. Gakpo got his second of the night with a brilliant assist from Mohamed Salah before the Egyptian hit a stunning record-equalling volley to make it 4-0.
After Nunez made it 5-0 for the hosts, Salah proceeded to score his second goal of the game to become Liverpool's highest Premier League goalscorer with 129 goals, surpassing Robbie Fowler's record. To cap off a spectacular game for Liverpool, Roberto Firmino made it 7-0 from close range, firing Jurgen Klopp's men to fifth on the league table. At the moment, a top-four finish looks achievable for Klopp's charges who are now three points behind Tottenham Hotspur and have a game in hand.
Below are all the records set following Sunday night's big scoreline at Anfield:
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Liverpool recorded their biggest ever competitive win against Manchester United (7-0), surpassing their previous best which was set back in October 1895 (7-1 in the second tier).
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Against Liverpool, Manchester United suffered their joint-heaviest ever competitive defeat, alongside 7-0 losses to Wolves in December 1931, Aston Villa in December 1930 and Blackburn Rovers in April 1926.
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Manchester United's 7-0 defeat at Anfield was the heaviest of Erik ten Hag's managerial career.
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The last time Man Utd suffered a defeat by a seven-goal margin was 7-0 at Wolves in December 1931 (in Division 1) It is the third time they have conceded seven goals in a game against Liverpool (1st time since 1908) but is the heaviest defeat of the three.
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Mohamed Salah's 129th PL goal for Liverpool took him past Robbie Fowler as Liverpool's all-time top goalscorer.
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Mohamed Salah (10) has scored the most Premier League goals against Manchester United in career than any other opponent.
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Mohamed Salah is the second player to score in five successive Premier League appearances vs Manchester Utd, after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (for Leeds & Chelsea, 1998-2001).
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Gakpo, Núñez and Salah are the fourth trio in Premier League history to each score two ore more goals in the same game, and the first since Cole, Yorke and Solskjaer for Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest in February 1999.
