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Manchester United, without talismanic striker Marcus Rashford, were brought back to earth by Jurgen Klopp's extremely efficient juggernaut, which doesn't look like slowing down as the matches go by.
The scoreline might only show a 2-0 loss for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men but in reality, the game was finished as a contest as soon as Virgil van Dijk towered above everyone else to head Liverpool ahead from a corner. From then on, it was a string of missed chances by all of Liverpool's front line as they made David de Gea earn every single pound of his weekly wage.
A second goal was scored as De Gea and Van Djik both went in for the ball leaving the Spaniard on the floor as Roberto Firmino curled in an absolute beauty, only for it to be unfortunately ruled out for a soft foul on the keeper. United showed some meek resilience at the end but Salah delivered the telling blow after a brilliant assist by Alisson Becker.
Here are the player ratings for the Manchester outfit as they fell to yet another damaging defeat.
David de Gea: 6.5
Despite the very weak moment he had with Virgil van Djik which nearly cost United the goal, his overall game was pretty much on point as he made a couple of remarkable saves from Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson. He could've done slightly better but his performance was one which kept the game interesting in the second half.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 4
Probably the young Englishman's worst game as a United player since signing in the summer. The new wing-back role seems to have made him lose his bearings as he was often caught upfield as Robertson and Mane were making inroads down his side. Made a few decent tackles but that was all there was to his credit.
Victor Lindelof: 5
Nothing major from the Swede as the extra defensive numbers meant a secure evening for him personally. Did let Mane in once where he was helped by his keeper, other than that his contribution to the game was missing.
Harry Maguire: 4.5
His first outing as United's official club captain could've gone way better but he did show glimpses of his quality with a few good tackles and interceptions near the halfway line.
Luke Shaw: 6.5
Playing against Salah seems to bring out the best in Shaw's game as he repeatedly ups his game against the Egyptian. Playing as the left-sided centre back, he made several last-ditch tackles and interceptions and his full-back traits helped him pass and dribble out of the back with a certain degree of ease.
Brandon Williams: 6
Another game and another all-action performance from the 18-year-old as he went up against Trent Alexander-Arnold and limited the English right back's usual threat from his deliveries. A matured performance for his age with the right amount of hard tackles thrown in occasionally. A fan favourite in the making.
Nemanja Matic: 5.5
A steady showing from the Serb but it was a performance which exposed why United need midfield reinforcements as he was time and again caught out in transitions through no fault of his own but his sheer lack of pace. Continuously steady on the ball but an obvious weakness when coming up against the likes of Wijnaldum and Henderson.
Fred: 7
A man of the match performance from United's perspective. The Brazilian ran a lone cause against the Merseyside team and was involved in all the positive bits of play on offer from the away side. Just to give a measure of his performance, he was ranked for United in attempted passes, completed passes, ball recoveries, take ons, tackles won and key passes.
Andreas Pereira: 2
The Brazilian in the lineup was the antithesis to Fred's quality. He missed a glorious chance to restore parity in the first half and his first touch coupled with his decision making was not up to the mark.
Anthony Martial: 4
A timid performance from the Frenchman. He barely got a sniff off the ball but managed a couple of slaloming runs. Martial. however, fluffed his lines sensationally as he missed a glorious chance to level the game for United. The former Monaco man failed to deliver the goods in Marcus Rashford's absence.
Daniel James: 3.5
The young Welshman tried his best but his best moments came early in the game where he picked the ball up in promising positions but failed to find Martial on both occasions. Apart from that he was barely involved throughout and seemed overwhelmed by the physicality of the game.
Substitutes:
Juan Mata: 5
The Spaniard came in late on and failed to make a mark on the game even though he did try to be inventive in the final third.
Mason Greenwood: 5
Very similar to Juan Mata, had little time to get into the game and was unable to do anything in his time on the pitch.
Diogo Dalot: N/A
Came in with barely 5 minutes remaining and won a corner, nothing else of note.
