Izuchukwu Okosi
Liverpool handed Premier League’s biggest rivals, Manchester United their heaviest defeat in the division in the last 92 years on Sunday evening as Erik ten Hag’s impressive run with Manchester United came to a stunning halt with a 7-0 win at Anfield.
The win was also the biggest in the fixture’s history. It will leave Jurgen Klopp’s side with real belief that they can recover from their poor start to the season and clinch a top-four finish.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe first half ended with a hist a goal separating the juggernauts but the Reds went on a goal scoring spree in the second half that even the most optimistic Liverpool supporter would never expect from a side that has faltered to deceive for most parts of the season.
Cody Gakpo, Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez all each scored twice as all three Liverpool forwards were on the mark and led the amazing rout.
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Gakpo struck at the end of a week in which Roberto Firmino announced he is bringing down the curtain on his glorious Liverpool career at the end of the season.
And if the Dutch youngster was signed with a view to being the Brazilian’s heir apparent, fans only had to wait until the 42nd minute to appreciate how much those comparisons may be valid.
A long kick from Alisson was collected by Andy Robertson who cut inside, beating his opposite full-back Diogo Dalot before guiding a perfect pass inside midfielder Fred.
Gakpo cut in from wide and curled a perfectly-judged shot beyond the diving David de Gea into the far corner.
Mohamed Salah achieved new heights, in addition to his distinguished record with Liverpool, after scoring the 129th goal in his career with the team in the English Premier League, to become the club’s historic scorer, surpassing Robbie Fowler.
Mohamed Salah scored his 129th goal against Manchester United on Sunday, when he scored Liverpool’s fourth and sixth goals in the Northwest Derby match, which was hosted by Anfield on Sunday.
Salah achieved the feat in his 205th domestic match with the Liverpool shirt, to add a new title to his records, after he won the Golden Boot for the league’s top scorer three times and player of the season once.
The future of the Reds’ forward line paved the way as Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored twice to demolish their arch-rivals with a result which was the largest victory in the fixture’s 211-match history.
Three of their goals came in a seven-minute spell either side of half-time which left the visitors, who have not won on this ground since Jurgen Klopp’s first encounter with them in January 2016, reeling.
Substitute Roberto Firmino, who on Friday told the club he would not be seeking a contract extension and would end his eight-year stay in the summer, applied the finishing touches with the seventh.
Last season Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford and 4-0 at home but that was a side who were competing for an unprecedented quadruple.
This version has struggled for most of the season but appear to be gathering ominous momentum at just the right time.
Even overturning a 5-2 Champions League first-leg deficit to Real Madrid next week now does not seem as impossible.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
