Liverpool belied their recent struggles to thrash Manchester United 7-0 as Mohamed Salah became their record Premier League goal scorer.
Cody Gakpo placed a shot in the bottom corner, Darwin Nunez headed in and Gakpo clipped a shot over David de Gea from Mohamed Salah’s pass.
Salah scored a fine volley and Nunez headed in Jordan Henderson’s cross.
Egyptian Salah scored again, his 129th league goal for the club, and Roberto Firmino added a seventh.
Liverpool find the fire and fury
Liverpool have resembled a shadow of their real selves this season. The old guarantees, such as intensity and firepower, have been missing far too often.
They all returned here – and how – in the most spectacular manner as Manchester United, who have been undergoing a revival this season, were blown away by a team in full cry.
Once Jurgen Klopp’s side took control of a tightly contested game just before half-time, they were ruthless. They scored seven, and missed chances to get more.
Klopp wanted this to be a pivotal week in the race for the top four as his team look to salvage something from a season that has, to this point, been below par.
His players responded. Wolverhampton Wanderers were beaten at Anfield and United, to put it mildly, outclassed.
Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford and 4-0 at Anfield in the Premier League last season while United had a 2-1 win at home early in this campaign to get the Ten Hag era going – and this was another remarkable game to add to that catalogue.
Gakpo was on United’s wanted list before he moved to Liverpool in January and his two cool finishes showed why Ten Hag was a fan. Nunez demonstrated his growing threat with a double while Salah always rises to the occasion against United and punished them once more.
There was even the perfect finale of a goal in front of the Kop for Firmino, who announced on Friday he would end a great Liverpool career at the conclusion of this season.
Liverpool manager Klopp resisted a fist pump celebration in front of the Kop – but for him, this day could not have gone any better.
More to follow.
