Regular in the United goal: the ball
Source: dpa/Peter Byrne
Manchester United endured a debacle at Liverpool. After the 0:7 the hangover is great. The Reds around Jürgen Klopp, on the other hand, hope to have managed to turn the tide just in time after a mixed season.
“Unprofessional”, “embarrassing”, “embarrassing”: After Manchester United’s record 7-0 defeat in the Premier League at Liverpool, coach Erik ten Hag and his players struggled with their performance in the second 45 minutes. “The second half was unprofessional. We didn’t play as a team,” the Dutchman said angrily at the press conference, announcing an intensive review: “It mustn’t happen and we have to talk about it.”
On Sunday evening, the team, unbeaten in eleven games in the English football championship, suffered their worst defeat against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool – by conceding six goals in the second half. He was upset and surprised because his team hadn’t brought anything of the previous winning mentality to the pitch, said ten Hag. “It was the whole team, you saw eleven individual players lose their heads. That’s unprofessional, that’s not Manchester United,” said the coach.
On days like this: Liverpool came to a record victory over their great rivals
Which: AFP/PAUL ELLIS
Central defender Luke Shaw called his team’s performance “unacceptable” and “embarrassing”. “The performance was a disgrace. On the pitch I was ashamed of us players, of the fans who supported us and who are watching at home,” said the international. He can only apologize for the second half. “It was totally unacceptable. We didn’t show any personality or mentality,” he admitted, also announcing a no-holds-barred review “of the game and what went wrong.”
On Thursday, Manchester United will face Real Betis Sevilla in the Europa League round of 16 first leg. Then the third in the table wants to appear differently. “We can’t let a single result derail our whole season because I think we’re in a really good position and I think that’s another hurdle we have to overcome and we, as a team, are going to get over that and I think we’ll come back positively on Thursday night. I’m sure of it,” Shaw announced. Ten Hag is also convinced of this: “We will recover. This team is strong enough to regroup and we will get back on our feet.”
Salah’s record inspires Klopp
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp, on the other hand, hopes that the thrashing may be the turning point in what has been a mixed season so far. “We need results and performance – and tonight we had both,” said Klopp: “It’s important for everyone to know: we’re here and we’re still alive.”
The 55-year-old admitted that the result was “crazy”, but his team’s performance was “outstanding”. “A few months ago everyone thought it was a good time to play against Liverpool,” said Klopp. “They weren’t allowed to say it out loud, but everyone thought it because they felt we were in deep trouble. But now it’s not such a good moment for them because we’re acting like ourselves again.”
On top of that, the coach was pleased that striker Mohamed Salah set a new record in the Liverpool shirt with his brace. The Egyptian is now the Reds’ record goalscorer with 129 goals in 205 Premier League games. “129 goals, that’s crazy!” said Klopp. “We already appreciate him today, but in the future people will look back and say: Wow, we saw something really special there.”
The bare facts: record man Mohamed Salah after his goal to make it 6-0
Quelle: Liverpool FC via Getty Images/Andrew Powell
Salah himself was overjoyed after the game and was delighted that he had set his record against Manchester rivals of all people. “I can’t lie about that: It’s unbelievable that I made it against Manchester United today,” he told Sky Sports. However, the star striker warned against getting cocky. “Now we have to stay grounded and win more games. Hopefully that gives us a big boost.”
