Liverpool thrash United, keep title race alive
LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool thumped old rivals Manchester United 4-0 at Anfield to move top of the Premier League, for 24 hours at least. After a 5-0 win at Old Trafford in October, this was another humiliation of United by Juergen Klopp’s team, who were barely threatened by their lifeless opponents.
Liverpool moved to 76 points from 32 games with title rivals Manchester City on 74 points from one game fewer.
It was a miserable night for United who are now without a win in their last eight league clashes with Liverpool and have failed to score in five of their last six trips to Anfield. “It is embarrassing, it is disappointing, maybe even humiliating, we have to accept that they are six years ahead of us now,” said United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick who added the club now faced a “rebuild”.
United dropped below Arsenal on goal difference, falling to sixth place on 54 points, having played two games more than the Gunners. Tottenham Hotspur currently occupy fourth spot on 57 points but even though United remain in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League there was nothing in
their performance that indicated they merited such a reward. Rangnick, who was without several regulars including Cristiano Ronaldo, mourning the death of his newborn son, opted to play five at the back with Phil Jones drafted in. It was an approach that did not work and Rangnick abandoned it at halftime but by then Liverpool were 2-0 up.
Colombian Luis Diaz gave Liverpool a fifth-minute lead, tapping in from close range after Sadio Mane set Mohamed Salah free down the right and the Egyptian delivered a pinpoint
low cross for a simple finish. United’s problems got worse in the 10th minute when Paul Pogba limped off injured.
Mane again provided the spark with a superb first-time pass finding Salah who, having lost his marker Diogo Dalot, cut in from the right and provided his trademark left-foot finish.
The Senegalese creator turned finisher in the 68th minute, making it 3-0. Salah completed the rout in the 85th minute as substitute Diogo Jota threaded a pass through to the Egyptian, who beat David De Gea.