Liverpool played their best game of the season to destroy Manchester United with an embarrassing and historic 7-0 scoreline and gain strength for the final stretch of the season, with qualification in the Champions League positions very close and with a win that opens the door of hope to a team that dreams of overcoming Real Madrid in Europe.
The result harvested this Sunday at Anfield, against the best Manchester United of the last five years, recalled the most authentic and wild Liverpool of Jürgen Klopp, based on the figure of Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez, with a double each.
The Reds, who are three points off fourth place with one game less, are putting together their season with four wins in their last five Champions League games. This win, in the Clásico in England, also serves to lower a couple of degrees the impossible that seems to raise the 2-5 against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Anfield believes a little more after what was seen against United.
Because the duel that was supposed to serve to balance the inequality between the two teams in recent years, only increased Liverpool's advantage, which endured United's initial arreónes to strike first and with more force than ever.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford pardoned in front of Alisson's goal, until at halftime Andy Robertson broke two lines with a pinpoint pass that found Gakpo inside the area. The Dutchman only needed two touches; the first to get rid of Varane and line up the goal and the second to put it at De Gea's long post.
With the advantage, Liverpool once again enjoyed one of its hallmarks: counterattacks. On the run and living in transition, Liverpool ended up executing the 'Red Devils', completely blurred.
Darwin Núñez, just after the break, made it 2-0 after a commotion in the area in which he headed a good delivery from Harvey Elliott, but the massacre was started by Gakpo, when in the 50th minute he started a counterattack with a ball in long for Salah. The Egyptian danced to Lisandro Martínez and filtered for Gakpo, who chipped the ball in front of De Gea with almost no angle.
Robertson, with a shot looking for the top corner, and Konaté, with a header, made it close to 4-0, but it had to be Salah, who couldn't go unmarked, who continued to increase United's punishment. The African striker caught a dead ball in the area and shot De Gea.
Completely soulless, United let go and Liverpool, devoid of joy this season, took advantage of it to keep hitting an opponent who was already on his way home. Núñez, heading in after a Henderson cross, and Salah, pushing back a terrible clearance attempt from Shaw, raised the score to a ridiculous 6-0 at Anfield.
And it got even worse, when Roberto Firmino, who will not continue at Liverpool next year, somehow closed his cycle here with the seventh goal.
A historic rout that ends United's chances of winning the Premier and therefore the quartet of titles and that throws a different perspective for Liverpool in the twelve days that remain. The reds are close to the Champions League, three points behind Tottenham with one game less, while United, fourteen points behind, only has to tie up third place.
7 - Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Connaught, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Bajcetic, m.78), Fabinho (Milner, m.79), Elliott (Jones, m.86); Salah, Gakpo (Firmino, 78) and Nunez (Jota, 78).
0 - Manchester United: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Lysander (Malaysia, m.77), Shaw; Casemiro (Sabitzer, m.77), Fred (McTominay, m.59), Fernandes; Antony, Rashford (Elanga, m.86) and Weghorst (Grenach, m.59).
Goals: 1-0 m.43: Steel, 2-0. m.47; Nunez, 3-0 m.50: Steel, 4-0. m.66: Salah, 5-0. m.75: Nunez, 6-0. m.83: Salah, and 7-0 m.88: Firmino.
Referee: Andy Madley admonished Fabinho (m.41) and Salah (m.84) for Liverpool and Antony (m.53), Lisandro (m.61) and McTominay (m.65) for United.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the twenty-sixth day of the Premier League played at the Anfield stadium (Liverpool).
