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Liverpool humiliated ten-man Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford in a stunning result in the Premier League. Goals from Naby Keita and Diogo Jota followed by a hat-trick from Mohamed Salah secured the Reds their biggest win over their Northwest derby rivals.
The Red Devils found themselves 4-0 down in a shockingly poor opening stanza that also saw Cristiano Ronaldo escape a red card for kicking the ball onto Curtis Jones.
However, more misery was in store for United after the break. Salah rounded off his treble just five minutes into the restart before United substitute Paul Pogba was sent off for a challenge on Naby Keita.
Ronaldo appeared to had pulled a consolation goal back midway through the second half. But replays showed he was marginally offside.
Everything that could have gone wrong for United, did, on the day. Meanwhile, the calls for beleaguered manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sack have grown louder than ever.
On that note, here are the five hits and flops from Manchester United and Liverpool in the 208th Northwest derby:
Hit: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Coming into the match on the back of a nine-game scoring streak, Mohamed Salah was the man Manchester United feared the most. Their worst fears came true, as the Egyptian was an absolute nightmare for United.
Lethal, devastating and relentless, Salah netted thrice in the evening to floor United. In the process, he became the first visiting player in the Premier League to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford.
Salah should be a genuine contender for the Ballon d'Or award this year. That's because there's no one better than him on current form as he continues to break records and power Liverpool's title charge.
Flop: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Poor Ronaldo. He doesn't deserve to go through this. The returning hero was supposed to transform Manchester United into title prospects, but his second stint with the club is turning into a nightmare.
It's no secret that his form has been patchy, but against Liverpool, the Portuguese ace was genuinely underwhelming. He tried to get on the end of crosses, but cut a frustrated figure in attack.
The game could've been much worse, for Ronaldo, who was lucky to escape a red card for a petulant foul on Curtis Jones in the first half. To exacerbate things, he then saw a sublime goal ruled out late on for a marginal offside. It just wasn't his day.
Hit: Naby Keita (Liverpool)
Liverpool's opening goal of the match came from the unlikeliest of sources, Naby Keita. He was on target against Atletico Madrid on Thursday in the Champions League, though.
Keita ran into acres of space left behind by United's defence before lashing home a fine strike to break the deadlock. It only served to bolster him further; the Guinean then set up Salah's second of the night.
Effervescent and menacing at the same time, Keita saw his time on the field unfortunately cut short after he sustained an injury from Paul Pogba's foul that got the Frenchman sent off.
Flop: Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Much of Manchester United's recent defensive lapses have been down to Harry Maguire's sheer ineptness. The centre-back is a pale shadow of his stoic Euro 2020 self as he put up another horror show at the back on Sunday.
The Red Devils captain was in no man's land whenever Liverpool drove forward. He was nowhere in sight for Keita's goal, but the enduring image of his torrid evening was the stuff of pure comedy. Maguire clashed with Shaw in the build-up to the visiting team's second goal.
Signed for a world-record fee of £80 million in 2019, Maguire has now become a liability for United. He needs to get his act together soon, for it's raining trolls on him on social media at the moment.
Hit: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Back in the starting line-up and back among the goals, Diogo Jota played a starring role in Liverpool's historic win on Sunday. He was full of energy, making menacing runs to keep United's defence on their toes. Jota linked up play well, putting on a much-improved performance.
The young Portuguese was on target in the first half with a simple touch into an open net, which doubled Liverpool's advantage. Jota then assisted Salah for his hat-trick goal.
Jota now has four goals and an assist in eight league games. Could this spark another ruthless scoring run like the one last year?
