In a masterclass of football, Liverpool swept aside Manchester United with a resounding 4-0 victory at Anfield. This result sees the Reds reclaim the top spot in the Premier League, edging ahead of Manchester City by two points in a tightening title race. The victory was highlighted by Mohamed Salah's two goals, while Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz added one apiece to complete the rout of their arch-rivals.
The game began with both teams showing plenty of ambition. Despite United maintaining more possession early on, Liverpool wasted no time, with Luis Diaz scoring in the fifth minute. The goal came after Mane played Salah through on the right, and the Egyptian delivered a perfect cross for Diaz to tap in easily.
A moment of sportsmanship occurred in the seventh minute as the home crowd at Anfield rose to their feet to honor Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed the game after the heartbreaking death of his newborn son this past Monday.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors in the 10th minute when Paul Pogba suffered an injury and had to leave the game. From that point, Rangnick's squad struggled to find any rhythm. Even with three attackers pushed forward, United's pressing was ineffective, failing to unsettle a Liverpool side that continued to attack relentlessly.
It didn't take long for Liverpool to make it 2-0. Mane was again the architect, delivering a brilliant first-time pass to Salah. Cutting inside from the right, Salah unleashed his signature left-footed shot to beat the keeper, simultaneously ending a frustrating eight-match goal drought.
United were completely shut out in the first half, failing to record a single shot on target. While they showed some improvement after the break, Liverpool responded sharply; Diaz provided the assist for Mane to slot home a clinical finish, extending the lead to 3-0. Mane and Salah nearly added another after combining at the edge of the box, but the United defense managed a desperate clearance. The scoring was rounded off by Salah, who elegantly chipped the ball over David De Gea after receiving a pass from Robertson.
Mane and Salah paired up again at the edge of the penalty box to find the net once again, but United’s defenders somehow cleared the ball away. Salah added further gloss to the score sheet when he received the ball from Robertson and chipped it over De Gea’s head.
It was a nightmare outing for Manchester United, who have now gone eight consecutive league games without a win against Liverpool. This defeat sees them slip to sixth place in the standings, falling behind Arsenal on goal difference.