Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and Darwin Nunez all scored twice as Liverpool defeated Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield, boosting their top-four hopes and putting an end to talk of Erik ten Hag’s side making a title charge.
Liverpool produce a series of goals in an astonishing win
Gakpo scored at the end of a frantic first half, curling the ball home after Andy Robertson’s defense-splitting pass.
It had been a fairly even game up to that point, but Liverpool took control of the game five minutes after the break. Nunez scored from close range first, before Gakpo combined with Salah and beat David de Gea with a deft chip.
Salah scored the fourth goal, emphatically smashing a bouncing ball into the roof of the net, tying him with Robbie Fowler for the most Premier League goals for Liverpool.
On an incredible day for Liverpool, Nunez added the fifth with his head before Salah scored a scruffy sixth to surpass Fowler in the record books. Late in the game, substitute Roberto Firmino finished the job.
With a game in hand, Liverpool is now only three points away from a place in the Champions League.
United have not won at Anfield since 2016, but given the contrasting moods surrounding the two clubs, an away win would have appeared to represent a shift in the power dynamic of this rivalry. Instead, we got an emphatic demonstration of Liverpool’s enduring quality, as well as a reminder of who currently rules this rivalry.
Liverpool has won three of the last four meetings between the two, 4-0, 5-0, and now 7-0, while United has won just one of the last ten league games between the two. Ten Hag’s side may be on the rise and will almost certainly end the season with more silverware than Jurgen Klopp’s men, but this demonstrated that they are still some way off Liverpool’s peak level – possibly mentally as well as tactically. In the end, it was annihilation.
Player Ratings
Liverpool: Alisson 6, Alexander-Arnold 6, van Dijk 7, Konate 6, Robertson 7, Fabinho 6, Henderson 7, Elliott 6, Salah 8, Gakpo 9, Nunez 8. Subs: Milner 6, Bajcetic 6, Firmino 7, Jota 6, Jones n/a.
Manchester United: De Gea 5, Dalot 5, Varane 5, Martinez 5, Shaw 3, Fred 5, Casemiro 5, Fernandes 3, Antony 4, Rashford 5, Weghorst 4. Subs: Garnacho 5, McTominay 4, Malacia 4, Sabitzer 4, Elanga n/a.
