MerseyNewsLive looks back on the anniversary of one of the Reds’ most satisfying victories of recent seasons
It had been a hugely disappointing season for Liverpool following their quadruple charge in the previous campaign.
The Reds stood significantly behind arch rivals Manchester United and outside the top four as they lined up to take on Erik Ten Haag’s side at Anfield, who were fresh off the back of a League Cup final win and a major victory over Barcelona in the Europa League.
If Klopp’s men were to stand any chance of reaching the top four and achieve Champions League qualification, they simply had to win this game.
The match started as expected; a cagey affair in which every player looked terrified of making a mistake. Openings were created and small chances squandered. Bruno Fernandes’ header whistled past the post. Casemiro thought he had put United ahead but was quite clearly offside.
The break was approaching, the stage was set for a grand second half. A serious game of football between two Premier League titans. Yet what followed was an unprecedented slaughtering.
Liverpool would go on to win 7-0, a record win over their arch nemesis.
- Watch this description of each time the ball hit the back of the net:
Cody Gakpo 43′ (1-0)
Cody Gakpo was a new Liverpool signing who hadn’t really got going yet. This would be the game that announced him on the scene.
After a great pass from Andy Robertson, the Man United defence was opened up like a tn of beans. Gakpo cut inside from the left wing and finished with aplomb into the bottom right corner.
Darwin Núñez 47′ (2-0)
The Uruguayan had a poor first half, but was straight into the thick of the action after the break. To be fair, anyone with a head would have finished it. Harvey Elliott practically smashed the ball at his head. All Núñez had to do was direct in from a yard out. He’s had some bad misses, but not this time!
Gakpo 50′ (3-0)
Within five minutes of the second half, the game had escaped United’s grasp. On the counter attack following a wasted corner, Mohamed Salah used his pace to get down the wing. Up against Lisandro ‘The Butcher’ Martinez, the Egyptian spun one way, then another, sending the centre back crashing to the floor. Officially butchered.
Salah played in Gakpo who was left with a very tight angle, but found the perfect finish as he delightfully dinked it over the keeper.
Mohamed Salah 66′ (4-0)
Salah’s turn. On the break again, the ball bounced to the number 11 just inside the penalty area. On his unfavoured right foot, the ball was struck with venom and emphatically crashed in off the crossbar. Salah was now just one goal away from becoming Liverpool’s top scorer in Premier League history.
Darwin Núñez 75′ (5-0)
Another minute, another goal. A great looping header from the number 27 following a perfectly weighted cross from skipper Jordan Henderson. But where was the marking? The striker found himself in acres of space and promptly punished a humiliated Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah 83′ (6-0)
Record breaker! And what a game to do it in. It wasn’t your typical Salah goal, in fact it was a scrappy tap in. But no one cared. The Egyptian became top scorer, and The Reds found themselves 6-0 to the good against the club they would love to be 6-0 up against more than any other.
Roberto Firmino 88′ (7-0)
The cherry on the cake. Shortly after he announced he would be departing the club, Roberto Firmino provided the encore in what had been a 45 minute party inside Anfield. In front of the Kop, to make it 7-0 against Manchester United, what better way to celebrate one of your last games for the club? It looked like the chance had gone, but the Brazilian found a way to squeeze it past the United defenders on the line.
It was a day that made history, but unfortunately, Liverpool lost to bottom of the table Bournemouth just a week later. Ironically, they couldn’t find the net.
The Reds finished below Man United and did not get into the top four. Jurgen Klopp described the 7-0 as a freak result, and maybe he was right.
But either way, it is one for the history books and one Manchester United will never live down.
Featured image (c) Charley Young
