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Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media to apologise to fans of Manchester United following the Red Devils' 5-0 drubbing by Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ronaldo had a goal disallowed, but was a bystander for much of the game as the Red Devils succumbed to a humiliating defeat at home. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were superior in every department, and the stark difference between the two teams could not have been more evident.
Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick after assisting Naby Keita's fifth-minute opener, while Diogo Jota also found the back of the net. Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Manchester United frontline barely received any service from an ineffective midfield. The less said about the Red Devils' defence, the better.
United also ended the game with ten men after substitute Paul Pogba received his marching orders for a dangerous foul on Keita.
Following the humbling defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo posted the following message on social media:
"Sometimes the result is not the one we fight for. Sometimes the score is not the one we want. And this is on us, only on us, because there’s no one else to blame."
The Portuguese forward added:
"Our fans were, once again, amazing in their constant support. They deserve better than this, much better, and it’s up to us to deliver. The time is now!"
Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo will have to bounce back from this defeat as soon as possible. The Red Devils have many difficult fixtures coming up in the next few weeks. They will face the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Atalanta, Manchester City and Chelsea before the end of November.
Ronaldo and his teammates will have to be on top of their game if they are to get positive results from these games.
Manchester United break multiple unwanted records in Liverpool mauling
The 5-0 drubbing by Liverpool was Manchester United's joint-biggest home loss in Premier League history. The Red Devils lost 6-1 to Tottenham Hotspur last year and to Manchester City in 2011.
Mohamed Salah, with his three goals, became the first player to score a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League era. The Egyptian is also the first to score a hat-trick away at the Red Devils since Ronaldo Nazario for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League in 2003.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, this was the joint-biggest defeat of his career; he also suffered a 5-0 loss for Real Madrid against Barcelona in 2010. The Liverpool game marked the first time Manchester United went into half-time four goals behind in a Premier League game.
Ronaldo and co now find themselves in seventh place in the Premier League table after nine matches, with just 14 points. The Red Devils have scored 16 goals and conceded 15, nine of which have alarmingly come in their last two matches.
