Liverpool whirls past Manchester United | Football

Manchester United had to do without star player Cristiano Ronaldo in Liverpool. The Portuguese – last weekend good for a hat-trick against Norwich City (3-2) – announced on Monday that his newborn son has died. So he let the English classic pass by.

At Liverpool, the star attackers were just present and they took care of the opening goal after five minutes. Sadio Mane sent Mohamed Salah deep and he found Luiz Diaz, who completely detached from close range for the 1-0. This happened before all of Anfield let out a round of applause for the arch-rival’s Portuguese in the seventh minute.

That was really the only good thing about the first half from a United perspective, when it was swept away by The Reds. In addition, after ten minutes of play, Paul Pogba was injured. His replacement Jesse Lindgard was one of the many watching players when Liverpool struck again after more than twenty minutes. Salah was brilliantly cleared after a quick combination and finished well for the 2-0.

After the break, Liverpool showed a lot less strong and the best chances were even for Manchester United via Marcus Rashford, but Alisson Becker saved. It was mainly Jadon Sancho’s substitution in the break that had given the visitors new impetus.

Still, halfway through the second half, the 3-0 fell. Diaz found Mané with a low cross and he swept the ball controlled towards the far corner. With that, the brief revival of Manchester United was smothered. The fourth goal was also scored. Salah was found in the depths and lobed the ball in. As a result, Manchester United were beaten by Liverpool for the second time this season after the 0-5 at Old Trafford.

Liverpool are now leaders in the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester City, who will host Brighton on Wednesday. Manchester United are sixth.