In the 60th minute, hundreds of fans left Old Trafford, embarrassed by the image of a Manchester United that was humiliated by Liverpool in the England classic and in which Mohamed Salah proved to be the best footballer in the Premier League (0-5 ).
Three goals for the Egyptian, one for Naby Keita and another for Diogo Jota, in a steamroller that passed through Manchester and took the ‘Red Devils’ ahead and surely his coach, an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who no longer has any left arguments to endure in the position.
From the previous one, it was appreciated that Liverpool is much more of a team than United that had suffered with Atalanta and consecutive punctures in the Premier. However, in the Classics it is expected that these differences will be shortened and that the adrenaline and emotion of the players themselves will equal what the previous game or the predictions count.
But it is that between Liverpool and Manchester United, and more specifically between Jürgen Klopp and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the difference is insurmountable. Especially in an afternoon in which the defense of the ‘Red Devils’ is invisible, with a lost Harry Maguire and showing that the 80 million euros they paid for him were excessive.
With astonishing ease, Liverpool entered the United area, like those fans who stormed Old Trafford months ago to protest the Super League.
Salah, the best player in England at the moment, was the channel of humiliation and before the minute ten was reached, he served Keita first, who finished with the calm of a forward against De Gea.
Maguire was later exposed, unable to show forcefulness and with a youthful body language. Keita won the game and put the ball in the side of Alexander-Arnold so that his pass of death was holed by Diogo Jota. 0-2 and runrun in the stands. On Wednesday this marker had been raised against Atalanta. This time it could only get worse.
And Salah appeared to complicate everything even more. After half an hour, Keita picked up a rebounded shot from Salah, drove to the baseline, once again, without scoring, and conceded the Egyptian.
With the 0-3 Cristiano exploded, who could be sent off for several kicks on Curtis Jones. Luckily for him, the play ended with only a yellow, but perhaps he would have wanted to go to the locker room sooner, because just on the edge of the break, Salah took advantage of the non-existent Liverpool defense for the fourth. Assisted by Jota, low shot and 0-4 that aroused the ire of Old Trafford, who booed his team, and a Solskjaer who mixed sadness and anger in the band.
Would Liverpool stop ?. Watching Robertson celebrate the fifth by asking his teammates not to stop pushing, the answer is no. Again Salah, again Maguire. The center-back fell asleep, Salah beat his back and he bit her against De Gea.
Manita at Old Trafford, reminiscences of the 1-6 that City gave them ten years ago and not even Cristiano’s goal of honor went up to the scoreboard because the VAR canceled it. The embarrassment was such that Paul Pogba, who jumped onto the field at halftime, did not last fifteen minutes, since in an inning with the heels in front he sent him and Naby Keita on a stretcher to the dugout, sent off by the VAR.
The win, the toughest since Tottenham hit them 1-6 in October 2020 and City another 1-6 in October 2011, caused Alex Ferguson to sigh in the stands and Kenny Dalglish to laugh. A humiliation that can sentence Solskjaer and that leaves United seventh, eight points behind the leader, and Liverpool second, just one point behind Chelsea.
– Data sheet:
0 – Manchester United: De Gea; Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka; Fred, McTominay, Fernandes (Cavani, m.62); Rashford (Dalot, m.62), Greenwood (Pogba, m.46) and Cristiano.
5 – Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konaté, Robertson; Milner (Jones, m, 27), Henderson, Keita (Oxlade-Chamberlain, m.64); Salah, Firmino (Mané, m.78) and Jota.
Goals: 0-1. Keita, m.5, 0-2. Jota, m.13, 0-3. Salah, m.38, 0-4. Salah, m. 45 + 5 and 0-5. Salah, m.48.
Referee: Anthony Taylor admonished Shaw (m.41), Cristiano (m.45 + 2), Fred (m.45 + 3), Maguire (m.55) and Wan-Bissak (m.86) and expelled Pogba (m.60) by the locals
Incidents: Match corresponding to the ninth day of the Premier League, played at Old Trafford before some 74,000 spectators. EFE (HN)