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It was a night to forget for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United as they were dismantled by former English champions Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Jurgen Klopp registered his first-ever Premier League victory at the home of his fierce rivals and it was a deserved one as his side were quite brilliant and fully merited the win.
Manchester United only had brief spells of dominance in a game that was largely under Liverpool's control. The Red Devils began the game brightly and got themselves a lead after Bruno Fernandes' curling effort beat Alisson Becker after a massive deflection off rookie centre-half Nat Phillips.
The hosts then began to slack off after taking the lead and allowed Liverpool to grow into the game, and were made to pay dearly by Klopp's men. Diogo Jota, who was generally excellent throughout the game, restored parity to the scoreline with a clever flick from just a few yards out amidst a congested penalty box on 34 minutes.
The visitors then took the lead via a header from Roberto Firmino, who was set up by Trent Alexander-Arnold with a superb set-piece delivery.
Matters worsened at the start of the second half as Firmino scored his second of the game. Dean Henderson failed to hold on to Alexander-Arnold's strike from distance, spilt the ball and inadvertently set it up nicely for the Brazilian to strike from close range.
After nearly an hour of poor football, Manchester United reacted by bringing on Mason Greenwood and pushing Paul Pogba deeper into midfield. They had a glimmer of hope after Marcus Rashford struck on 68 minutes.
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah killed the game off with a superb goal as the hosts pushed higher up the pitch for a late equaliser. The Egyptian sprinted from the halfway line and scored with ease in the final minute of regulation time.
It was a dominant win from a side that has looked out of sorts for large parts of the 2020/21 campaign, but Liverpool now stand a realistic chance of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League. While this isn't necessarily a damaging defeat in terms of Manchester United's position on the table, the performance levels of the team over the last ten days will surely be a matter of concern for Solskjaer.
Here, we take a look at five hits and flops from Liverpool's brilliant 4-2 win away at Manchester United.
Hit: Diogo Jota | Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp dropped Sadio Mane in favour of his summer acquisition Diogo Jota to face Manchester United and his move paid off big time for Liverpool. The Portuguese forward was nearly unplayable, particularly in the first half, and was arguably one of Liverpool's best players on the night.
Jota was an energetic presence in the front three, not allowing the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Eric Bailly a moment's rest and did very well in the final third. The 24-year-old stung Henderson's palms with a superb strike in the first half before eventually scoring the equaliser. He could have wrapped up the game in the second half with another brilliant opportunity on the counter but rattled the post.
The Portuguese man also put in a great defensive shift for his side and racked up three tackles, the joint-most for Liverpool on the night. He led Liverpool back into the game and was a constant threat during his 74-minute stay on the pitch.
Flop: Paul Pogba | Manchester United
Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba has been in superb form over the course of the last few months, but he is unlikely to look back on Thursday night's game too fondly in the future. The French midfielder had a largely ineffective display against Manchester United's fiercest rivals, regardless of whether he played off the left or centrally, like he did for the last third of the game.
His worst moment of the game came right before the half-time whistle as he failed to block Firmino's run in his own box and allowed the Brazilian to score the go-ahead goal for Liverpool. It's the second time in Pogba's last four games that he's been culpable for goals conceded due to his shoddy defending, after his handball against AS Roma in Europe.
Bar a looping header in the first half, Pogba failed to produce much else of note for his side when they needed some inspiration in the final third. Additionally, his failure in his own box made it a poor outing overall for the in-form Frenchman.
Also read: Twitter explodes as Liverpool destroy Manchester United 4-2 at Old Trafford
Hit: Roberto Firmino | Liverpool
Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino hadn't scored a goal in any competition since the opener against Tottenham Hotspur in a 3-1 league win in January before this game. On Thursday, he left Old Trafford with two goals, which could go on to be some of the most important ones he's scored for the Reds as it could see them qualify for the UCL next season.
After a bleak season on a personal note, Firmino put in a fantastic display against Manchester United. He pressed the hosts relentlessly and made some dangerous runs to trouble a shaky defence. The 29-year-old timed his run from the free-kick to perfection and thumped the ball past Henderson, and his predatory instincts came to the fore for his second goal as he was in the right place at the right time.
Firmino scored with his two shots on target and created a further two chances for Liverpool. He was a lively presence up front for Klopp's men and could not have picked a better time or a better place to end his 15-game goal drought.
Flop: Fred | Manchester United
There were a host of options to choose from for the flops of the game, with the likes of Dean Henderson, Scott McTominay, Eric Bailly, and many others failing to cover themselves in glory. However, of all their flops, Manchester United's diminutive midfielder Fred deserves a special mention for an utterly shambolic display on the night.
The Brazilian was completely overrun in midfield and failed to provide any presence whatsoever in the middle for Manchester United to build on. Fred gave the ball away cheaply just outside his box which eventually led to Firmino's second of the night. It was the third time in as many games in which Fred lost the ball in a dangerous area which enabled the opposition to score, after doing so against AS Roma and Aston Villa.
The 28-year-old also passed the ball straight to a Liverpool player which could have led to another goal from his error if Jota hadn't smashed the ball onto the post. Much like his partner in midfield McTominay, Fred was poor on the ball and Liverpool evidently looked to press him on numerous occasions when in possession. Hooked for the last third of the game in favour of Mason Greenwood.
Hit: Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool
It is rather odd to see calls for a player hailed as one of the best right-backs in world football to be dropped from his own national side. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold's display on Thursday was a timely reminder of why he's regarded so highly. The 22-year-old was, simply put, the best player on the Old Trafford pitch in one of Liverpool's most crucial games of the season.
Alexander-Arnold ran the show from the right-hand side, producing a host of brilliant deliveries for Liverpool and winning back possession on the defensive end. He recorded more recoveries (14) and created more chances than anyone on the pitch (five). The Englishman also had more touches of the ball (86) than any other player and was comfortably the most influential player on the night.
His fiercely-struck effort on goal indirectly led to Liverpool's third on the night and Alexander-Arnold set up Firmino for the second with a beautiful delivery from a set-piece. He was deservedly awarded Man of the Match for his sublime showing.
With Gareth Southgate watching on from the stands, it's safe to say that Alexander-Arnold has given him some food for thought ahead of the UEFA Euros in terms of the Three Lions' team selection.
Also read: 5 Players with most nutmegs in Europe this season (2020/21)
