Liverpool made a serious statement regarding their title credentials on Sunday, beating Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford, but what did we learn from the clash?
United Are Defensively Inept
Manchester United’s defence came under the spotlight after they had to fight back from 2-0 down to beat Atalanta 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Former midfielder Paul Scholes warned shortly after that victory that they couldn’t afford the same to happen when Liverpool visited Old Trafford on Sunday.
With just 13 minutes on the clock, Liverpool had already bagged twice, they pulled three clear on 38 minutes and had the game wrapped up on the stroke of half time when netting a fourth. Mohamed Salah’s third and Liverpool’s fifth was the icing on the cake in the early stages of the second half.
Liverpool didn’t even hit fifth gear throughout the clash, which seems crazy to suggest, and they did concede chances early on but United weren’t clinical enough and paid the price as the game rolled on.
It’s clear that the Red Devils are a mess at the back, conceding 15 in their opening nine games, the joint-highest tally of any side in the top 14, while only Watford, Leeds, Newcastle and Norwich have shipped more.
United, who have picked up just one clean sheet, rank 14th in the league for shots faced, 20th for tackles made and 20th for errors leading to shots.
In fairness, they have looked better with summer signing Raphael Varane, conceding four in five games when he has featured but they look lost when the France international, who has missed the last two league fixtures, is unavailable.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put a lot of focus on adding to his attacking options over the summer when it was clear he needed to strengthen at the back after shipping 44 times last season – more than any of the club’s to finish in the top four.
Solskjaer Out of His Depth
Liverpool fans taunted their rivals with chants of “Ole’s at the wheel” as they romped to victory on Sunday, taking particular delight in United’s demise. Solskjaer’s position has always been a hotly debated topic but this result will surely have more signing up for the Ole out club. His record pre-United was far from spectacular, winning trophies in his homeland with Molde before suffering relegation with Cardiff.
Despite his failure to deliver at United after spending £441million, the board still appear prepared to stick with him until at least the end of the season.
United’s performances this term have gone under the radar somewhat prior to Sunday’s defeat due to the fact they hadn’t taken on any of the ‘big six’.
They’ve been let off the hook on several occasions but a quality side in Liverpool exposed Solskjaer’s tactical ineptitude for the world to see.
The Red Devils head to Tottenham on Saturday before returning to Old Trafford a week later for the visit of Manchester City and they also go up against Chelsea and Arsenal in December.
Solskjaer has all the tools but doesn’t appear to know how to use them and he’d likely have been shown the exit door at most other top-flight sides due to his inability to move the club forward.
Salah Is Untouchable
Liverpool fans have enjoyed watching Salah’s antics since the summer of 2017 and he has very quickly established himself as a club legend and a Premier League great.
Salah’s hat-trick on Sunday moved him clear as the highest-scoring African player in Premier League history, surpassing Didier Drogba’s record. Drogba hit 104 goals in 254 games but Salah has only taken 167 appearances to reach 106 goals.
He has been integral to the Reds’ success during the Jurgen Klopp era and his recent comments, which centred around ending his career at the club, will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans.
The 29-year-old became the first player in the history of Liverpool to score in three successive away games against United and he’s now netted in 10 games in a row.
There’s no doubting he is world-class, although he didn’t have to be at his very best to score three times against United, and it’s no surprise to hear calls growing for the Egypt ace to win the Ballon d’Or.
Klopp Among Liverpool Greats
Winning at Manchester United is always a reason for any Liverpool manager to celebrate, even if it’s a scrappy 1-0 victory in the last minute, but Klopp has so much to be proud of following Sunday’s performance.
The German sealed his place in Liverpool folklore by landing their maiden Premier League crown in 2019-20, but he edged closer towards becoming the club’s greatest ever manager – if he isn’t already – on Sunday by becoming the quickest head coach to reach 200 victories.
Jürgen Klopp
pic.twitter.com/TykhDheANL
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 25, 2021
He has achieved that milestone in 331 games, two fewer than Kenny Dalglish, and quicker than the likes Bob Paisley, who took 345 games, and Bill Shankly (380).
Klopp does also owe former number two Neil Critchley, who is enjoying his own success with Blackpool, some thanks for the record with his two victories when filling in during the 2019-20 campaign included in the 200.
Keita Coming Good for Reds
Naby Keita’s signing from RB Leipzig in August 2017 came with a fair bit of hype as Liverpool parted with a fee in the region of £48million.
It’s fair to say his performances have been mixed over the intervening years but he has looked much more settled and provided a greater influence from midfield this term.
Fresh from a well-executed volley in the 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, Keita opened the scoring at Old Trafford to take his tally for the season to three across all competitions.
Unfortunately, just as the Liverpool faithful were starting to see the best of the Guinea international he was stretchered off in the second-half following a reckless challenge from Paul Pogba, which led to the Frenchman being sent off.
It’s not clear how long Keita will be sidelined but his absence will be regarded as a big blow just as performances were starting to peak in the right direction.
All odds correct at time of writing