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Manchester United were on the receiving end of a 7-0 thrashing at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium on Sunday evening (5 March), enduring their worst-ever defeat in the Premier League era.
Erik ten Hag's side went into the game with an impressive record, having lost only once in their last 22 outings in all competitions. Third-placed United also sat 10 points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool and was expected to put on a show at one of the most prestigious stadiums in football.
They enjoyed an encouraging start to the game, with Antony testing his compatriot Alisson with a firm shot after nine minutes of play. In the 23rd minute, Liverpool ace Darwin Nunez came close to breaking the deadlock, courtesy of Andrew Robertson’s teasing cross into the box. Lisandro Martinez came in with an excellent sliding tackle to keep his team from going behind.
The deadlock was ultimately broken in the 43rd minute by January signing Cody Gakpo, who latched onto Robertson’s pass, cut inside, and curled the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Instead of sitting on their lead, Liverpool came out all guns blazing in the second half and doubled their money through Nunez. Harvey Elliott made the most of the scramble inside the Manchester United box to feed Nunez with a cross. The Uruguayan made no mistake in nodding it in.
In the 50th minute, Gakpo exchanged passes with Mohamed Salah before calmly dinking the ball past David De Gea to send Liverpool 3-0 clear. Manchester United were rattled by the two quick goals and opened themselves to a world of hurt.
Salah scored the fourth goal of the night in the 66th minute, dispatching a first-time half-volley after Nunez’s deflected pass fell into his path. Nunez added the fifth nine minutes later, expertly guiding Jordan Henderson’s cross into the top-right corner with a deft header.
In the 83rd minute, Salah bagged his brace, guiding the ball into an empty net following a clever pass from Roberto Firmino. It was Salah's 129 Premier League goal for the Merseysiders, which made him their all-time leading goalscorer in the English top flight.
Firmino scored the night's final goal in the 88th minute, with the Brazilian turning the ball past De Gea and Diogo Dalot from a tight angle. The 7-0 routing at Anfield marked Manchester United’s worst defeat in 92 years. They were last beaten by the same scoreline on Boxing Day in 1931; that time to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Here are five players who were horrendous in Sunday’s shocking Premier League bout:
#5 Raphael Varane
Five-time Champions League-winning center-back Raphael Varane was a bystander in Sunday’s routing at Anfield. He was indecisive, failed to keep up with Liverpool’s front three, and surrendered possession cheaply on occasions. A player of his caliber ought to have done much better to stop the hosts from barging into the box whenever they felt like it.
The former Real Madrid ace lost possession nine times, completed 24 passes (75% accuracy), and misplaced his only attempted long ball. Coming to defensive contributions, Varane only made two clearances and attempted a tackle.
#4 Luke Shaw
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw enjoyed an impressive first half, regularly making inroads into dangerous areas and looking to hurt the Reds with his deliveries. He, however, regressed massively in the second 45, with Salah breezing past him like he was not even there.
Shaw ended the match with four misplaced crosses and three fouls. He also lost possession 14 times, misplaced two of three attempted long balls, and lost five ground duels.
#3 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford came into Sunday’s game in red-hot form. The Englishman had scored in the last Sunday’s (26 February) Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United and looked lively against West Ham United in midweek as well.
The Merseysiders refused to let Rashford have another merry day at the office and made it a point to isolate him from the midfield. His passing lanes were blocked, he was pressed mercilessly, and rarely had a look at Alisson’s goal. Rashford’s best moment of the night came in the 73rd minute when he hit the woodwork with a left-footed shot.
At Anfield, Rashford completed 10 passes (71.4% accuracy), lost possession nine times, missed two big chances, and had just one shot on target.
#2 Casemiro
Casemiro has easily been one of Manchester United’s best players in the 2022-23 season. His display against Liverpool, however, was not in line with what everyone has come to expect from the midfielder. He struggled to keep up with Liverpool’s midfield, gave possession away cheaply, and failed to use his abundance of experience to help United when they desperately needed it.
Over the course of the game, the former Real Madrid superstar completed only 21 passes (61.8% accuracy). He lost possession 13 times, was dribbled past once, committed a foul, and lost three duels.
#1 Bruno Fernandes
Skipper Bruno Fernandes got a golden opportunity to put United in front in the 26th minute when Dalot swung an inviting cross into the box. Unmarked, Fernandes went for goal with a diving header but failed to keep it on target. That miss was pretty much the highlight of Fernandes's night. The rest was covered in senseless arguments and dejected expressions.
Against Liverpool, Fernandes lost possession 14 times, came out second-best in six of the eight ground duels, committed three fouls, and was caught offside twice.
