Liverpool humuliates Man U
By Correspondent
Liverpool gave an emphatic rubber-stamp to its revival, with Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo helping put Manchester United to the sword. This is what we spotted.
Trepidation was the watch-word ahead of kick-off as Liverpool hosted an in-form Manchester United. Jürgen Klopp’s side has been enjoying a slight resurgence of its own, but it was in a fragile state heading into this tricky-looking fixture.
Fans need not have worried. Before the game, there were wry references to Liverpool’s 4-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season. But that score-line was ultimately surpassed and then some, with the Reds putting in a stellar performance on home turf.
Having enjoyed the better of the first half, Cody Gakpo ensured that did not go unrewarded. That gave Liverpool fresh impetus at the start of the second period, and in the blink of an eye it was 3-0.
Relentless, Liverpool kept on coming, adding insult to injury as it rubber-stamped the feeling that this time, for real, the team has turned a major corner. And it was telling that the forwards of the future, Gakpo and Darwin Núñez, were at the double in the rout, alongside a timeless legend in Mohamed Salah.
Within the first minute of the contest, Liverpool had already been awarded two free kicks, with four separate incidents for the referee to unpack. First, Salah drew a foul, before Manchester United seemingly sought to block the quick free kick.
Moments later, it was Gakpo fouled, after a neat turn on Casemiro. No sooner had the whistle gone for that infringement was Fred smashing into Harvey Elliott.
It’s fair to say that set the tone of a spiky contest, but it also set a tone of Manchester United chasing shadows for long periods. More often than not, the 10-point gap looked as though it were the other way around, even if the counter-attacking threat was always present from the visitors. When Gakpo opened the scoring shortly before half-time, it was no less than what Liverpool deserved, and in truth the incredible final score was hard to argue with too.
Van Dijk urgency
The scoreboard displayed 0-0 after 15 minutes, but an observer not armed with that information might have assumed it was 1-0 to Manchester United in the 88th minute. For one reason or another, there appeared to be a concerted Ten Hag plan to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm and run the clock down from the first whistle.
Liverpool had won an innocuous free kick, but Fred seemed determined to delay its taking. Clutching onto the ball like a petulant child, he incurred the wrath of Virgil van Dijk.
Many commentators had suggested that a point would be a good result for Liverpool going into the game, and objectively they might have been onto something. But if anyone was in any doubt about the mindset of Klopp’s side, Van Djik dispelled it.
The Dutch colossus strode over to Fred, wrestling the ball from his grasp. He wanted to get a move on and launch the next assault on the Manchester United goal. Though nothing came from it, the moment summed up the surprising and contrasting mindsets of the two teams, which laid the foundations for a truly glorious win.
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