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On Sunday, the 24th of October 2021, Liverpool made the tricky trip to Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium in the Premier League. Despite the Reds' sensational form, their fans were cautious. They did not want to swallow the bitter pill of defeat in the backyard of their arch-rivals.
The Liverpool players, on the other hand, did not pay any mind to the insurmountable pressure or the tangible tension in the air. They went out and did what they love the most. After just 15 minutes of play, Liverpool found themselves 2-0 up at Old Trafford, courtesy of Naby Keita and Diogo Jota. But the Merseyside giants were hungry for more.
Unsurprisingly Liverpool’s talisman, Mohamed Salah, fulfilled that wish, adding two more goals before half-time.
Liverpool returned just as strongly in the second 45 and got their fifth of the night through Salah. Manchester United were beaten 5-0 that night, pushing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the brink of losing the hot seat.
Manchester United ultimately refrained from sacking their coach after the humiliating defeat to Liverpool, but some managers have not been that lucky.
Today, we will take a look at how Liverpool have shaped the fortunes of five top managers in the Premier League.
Here are the five coaches who were sacked after suffering a defeat to Liverpool in the 21st century.
#5 Rene Meulensteen - Fulham
Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen was already on the brink of getting the ax when Liverpool rolled into town in February 2014.
The Reds, who were looking to end their Premier League title drought, eventually outmuscled Meulensteen’s bottom-dwellers, nicking a 3-2 win at Craven Cottage.
The men in suits over at Fulham could not swallow yet another defeat and relieved Meulensteen of his services. He only lasted for 17 games at Fulham, leading the club to four wins across all competitions.
Since then, Meulensteen has managed teams like Kerala Blasters, Brondby IF, and a couple of others.
#4 Slaven Bilic - West Ham
Unlike Meulensteen, Slaven Bilic’s side was not at the bottom of the barrel. Instead, West Ham United were playing an impressive brand of football, despite some disappointing results along the way.
Bilic’s West Ham United hosted Liverpool on the 11th matchday of the 2017-18 Premier League season. The Reds, buoyed by goals from Mohamed Salah and Joel Matip, got themselves 2-0 up inside the opening 30 minutes.
West Ham got one back through Manuel Lanzini in the second half, but Liverpool added two more to secure maximum points away from home. The 4-1 defeat marked the end of Bilic’s two-year spell in London.
#3 Marco Silva - Everton
Liverpool and Everton have one of the fiercest rivalries in English football. So it makes sense for both clubs to take the two Merseyside derbies on the Premier League calendar rather seriously.
Failing to make the most of the situation can prove to be catastrophic, and former Everton manager Marco Silva learned it the hard way.
In all honesty, Marco Silva did not seem prepared to handle the curveballs Everton had in store for him. Despite failing to save Hull City from relegation in 2017, he was chosen by Watford to lead their project.
A handful of encouraging results later, Everton came calling and signed him in August 2018. His first season went surprisingly well, but he failed to make the big-money players flourish in his second season.
After enduring two back-to-back defeats, Everton made the trip to Anfield in December 2019. Unsurprisingly, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool crushed them at home, picking up a massive 5-1 win.
Silva was immediately relieved of his responsibilities and Carlo Ancelotti was brought in as his replacement.
#2 Andre Villas-Boas - Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur may not have an iconic rivalry, but the two have had some feisty fixtures over the years. So it is no surprise that both teams desperately want to get one over the other.
Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas was fully aware of the responsibilities of the job. Unfortunately, he could not quite manage to live up to the billing against the mighty Reds in December 2013.
Villas-Boas’ Tottenham Hotspur went into the game on the back of a five-match unbeaten streak, winning four of their last five matches. Unfortunately, Liverpool were in no mood to extend the north London side’s joy.
Fueled by a fantastic Luis Suarez brace, Liverpool won 5-0 at Anfield, marking the final match of Andre Villas-Boas’ Tottenham spell.
#1 Jose Mourinho - Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have gotten away with an embarrassing defeat to Liverpool but his predecessor, Jose Mourinho, was not as lucky.
Mourinho’s Manchester United was a far cry from the exuberant Manchester United side the fans knew and loved. The manager preferred a rather pragmatic approach and quickly became an unpopular figure at Old Trafford.
After two decent seasons, Mourinho started losing the dressing room and was practically waiting for the other shoe to drop. The final nail in the coffin came in December 2018, when Liverpool beat United 3-1 at Anfield.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was brought in to fill the gap temporarily, but the Norwegian successfully managed to turn his half-season stint into a full-time role.
