Liverpool’s 7-0 dream win is Man U’s worst nightmare

LIVERPOOL, England (AP):

For Liverpool, it was the wildest of dreams.

For Manchester United, the worst nightmare after such a promising start for coach Erik ten Hag at the club.

A 7-0 win for Liverpool against United in the English Premier League yesterday in arguably English football’s fiercest rivalry has the potential to have a lasting impact on both teams’ ambitions this season.

It was United’s worst competitive defeat in more than 90 years. United have lost 7-0 on three previous occasions – the last time coming in 1931 against Wolverhampton. The score also eclipsed Liverpool’s previous best victory against United, which was a 7-1 win in 1895.

“A few months ago everyone thought it was a good moment to play Liverpool – you can’t say it publicly but everyone thought it – because they felt we were struggling a lot,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “But now it is less of a good moment. We look much more like ourselves. It is important that everyone knows we are here and we are still alive.”

A landmark win could be the launchpad for a powerful finish to the campaign for Liverpool, a push for Champions League qualification and possibly more.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, must hope that his players respond in the manner they did after humbling losses against Brentford and Manchester City this season, which sparked impressive undefeated runs.

TRIUMPHANT CAMPAIGN

A four-pronged trophy pursuit now looks highly unlikely, with third-place United 14 points adrift of league leaders Arsenal. But after winning the League Cup last week, Ten Hag’s side is still in contention for the FA Cup and Europa League, in what still has the potential to be a triumphant campaign.

Not that the Dutchman was in the mood to look for the positives in the immediate aftermath of United’s joint heaviest loss of all time. It was also Ten Hag’s worst-ever defeat as a manager.

“That for me is unprofessional,” he said. “I’m really disappointed and angry. We let our fans down. As a squad, as a team, you cannot allow this.

“You have to stick together and support each other and fight for each other. You have to defend. We didn’t do that, and for me that is really unprofessional.”

Klopp has had his own problems this season as his team has struggled to cope with the departure of Sadio Mane last summer.

Until recently, even a Champions League qualifying top-four finish looked in doubt, with Liverpool suffering bruising losses to Brentford, Brighton and Wolverhampton since the start of 2023.

This win, however, closes the gap to fourth-place Tottenham to three points with a game in hand.

It was also evidence of a growing understanding between Liverpool’s new-look attack as Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all scored twice, with Roberto Firmino adding the other.

With fourth place now in sight, Liverpool fans might yet dream of an unlikely comeback in the Champions League round-of-16 game against Real Madrid later this month.

While European champions Madrid lead 5-2 after the first leg at Anfield, this was the type of performance to make the Merseyside club believe anything is possible.

Klopp’s assessment of Sunday’s game was concise: “Freak result, top performance.”

In another match yesterday Nottingham Forest and Everton drew 2-2.