The English Premier League title race just got hotter as Liverpool summarily demolished Manchester United to leapfrog the other Manchester side, City, to the top of the table with less than a month to go for the end of the season.
Liverpool's wrecker-in-chief Mohammed Salah scored two and assisted one as his side beat a lacklustre United 4-0. Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane were the other scorers on the night.
Manchester United were without Cristiano Ronaldo after the death of his newborn son. The stadium erupted in applause in the seventh minute of the game to show their support to the player and his family.
It was a result on expected lines considering the gulf in quality and form between the two teams. A Combined XI by Sky Sports readers before the match had only Liverpool players and not a single United player.
With the four goals, Liverpool also became the first team to ever score nine goals against Manchester United in a single Premier League season. They beat United 5-0 at Old Trafford in October 2021.
The victory takes Liverpool two points clear of Manchester City, who can reclaim the top spot if they beat Brighton tonight. United, who could have moved level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham, remain sixth.
After the game, United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick called the defeat “humiliating”. He added that there would be a rebuild of the squad over the summer with the expected arrival of Dutch coach Erik ten Hag.
"When Jurgen Klopp came they changed at the club and lifted not just the team but the club and city to a new level. That is what needs to happen with us in the next transfer windows,” said Rangnick.
"There will be a rebuild for sure, that was obvious in the first three or four weeks for me. For us, it is extremely embarrassing as a coaching staff to sit here and have a press conference like this. We just have to admit they are better than us."
