Liverpool is on the verge of winning another title after cruising to a dominant 4-0 victory over Manchester United on Tuesday, April 19th at Anfield.
With the victory, the Reds improved to 23-7-2 (win-draw-loss), good for 76 points, and leapfrogged Manchester City for the top spot in the English Premier League (EPL), while United dropped to sixth with 15-9-9 and 54 points.
Strong start for Liverpool
The Reds started strong as Colombian striker Luis Diaz gave the home team the lead five minutes into the match as United’s reshuffled defensive structure was caught out by a ball down the right.
Liverpool continued to press and soon doubled their advantage through Mo Salah who found the back of the net in the 22nd minute thanks to a beautiful pass by Sadio Mane.
Reds continued momentum in the second
United tried to pull out all the stops in the second half with manager Ralf Ragnick even bringing Jadon Sancho to offset Liverpool’s offensive attack, but it did little to affect the match.
The Reds found their groove soon enough as Andrew Robertson’s interception and run led to a left-footed finish from Mane in the 68th minute to put the game to bed.
Salah added more salt to the wound as he completed a sterling night with a delicious goal in the 85th minute to move two points clear of City.
A stellar performance
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was pleased with his team’s performance, citing a “perfect night”.
“For a football manager, nothing really to moan about. It was the perfect night for us; we don’t take these kinds of things for granted. If our counter-pressing was not as sensational as it was tonight, I really think United could have had a much better game. But because we were extremely good, it didn’t happen for them,” Klopp said.
Regardless of the dominant win, the Reds’ boss was quick to downplay their performance, saying there was no intention to embarrass Manchester United. Fans can recall that Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford in October to become the first team in history to record nine league goals against United in the same season.
“I am not here to humiliate opponents. We did what we had to do and we won the game. United is obviously in a difficult situation. Look at the line-up tonight. They played without their central midfielders and when you are in a difficult situation, very often in life you get another knock. And that’s what United did before the game,” Klopp added.
Anfield pays tribute to Ronaldo
United was without their prize striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who sat out the match following the tragic death of his newborn son. In the seventh minute, the Anfield supporters sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to sympathize with the United forward and his family.
