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Manchester United was humiliated by Liverpool FC with 5 unreplied goals throbbing during their Sunday premiership football match at the Old Trafford.
It could best be described as one of Manchester United FC’s most humiliating days of the contemporary Premier League era
Naby Keita and Diogo Jota got the ball rolling at Old Trafford with two early goals, but it was the Mercurial Striker, Mohamed Salah who scored a hat trick and stole the show.
The woes of Manchester United was compounded by the send-off of Paul Pogba due to the red card he picked up 14 minutes after his introduction as a substitute during the second half.
The emphatic defeat will inevitably lead to increased pressure on club legend Solskjaer, who has largely struggled since replacing Jose Mourinho as Manchester United boss in December 2018.
United have not won any silverware under Solskjaer and the club are now just seventh in the Premier League, but the Norwegian boss insists he will not step down.
Manchester United were 2-0 down inside 13 minutes as 2020 Premier League champions Liverpool made a flying start and scored twice through Naby Keita and Diogo Jota.
In-form Mohamed Salah scored twice before half-time to put Liverpool 4-0 up at the break and the Egyptian superstar completed his hat-trick five minutes after the restart.
While Liverpool did not extend their lead any further, Manchester United’s afternoon got even worse when second-half substitute Paul Pogba was sent off for a late challenge on Keita.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Defiant Amid Loss
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has was defiant when pressed if he would resign following the humiliation of his team by Liverpool. He argued that :
‘I have come too far, we have come too far as a group. We are too close to give up now,’ Solskjaer said.
‘It is going to be a difficult one. The players will be low but there are loads of characters there. We know we are rock bottom, we can’t feel any worse than this. Let’s see where we take it.’
The Manchester United Manager further argued that: ‘It is not easy to say something apart from it is the darkest day I have had leading these players.
‘We were not good enough individually and as a team, can’t give a team like Liverpool those chances but unfortunately we did.
The whole performance was not good enough. We created openings, they had chances and they have been clinical. The third goal decided the game.’
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Manchester United Player’s Apology
The captain of the Red Devils, Harry Maguire has on behalf of the players, apologised to the club’s fans, many of whom left at half-time as Liverpool handed out a thrashing.
‘We apologise to the fans, it was nowhere near good enough for this club,’ Maguire said. ‘They stuck with us right to the end and we appreciate that but as a club, we have to do better.
‘I am so disappointed, we gave them so many chances. They were so clinical, we had a lot of chances ourselves but I am a defender and to concede four in the first half especially at Old Trafford is nowhere near good enough.
‘As a player, I know myself. I’ll be looking at myself and my individual performance. We have to stick together, there is no point blaming each other but looking at ourselves.
‘Look in the mirror when we go home tonight and think where we can do better. To lose to Liverpool in any game of football hurts.
‘The rivals, the way we lost the game, to be 4-0 down at halftime in front of our fans like I say it is not good enough.’
Jurgen Klopp’s Reaction
Despite the lacklustre performance of the Manchester United team, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hailed Mason Greenwood as an outstanding talent.
Although the Liverpool Manager feels the Manchester United starlet’s impressive form has created a bit of a ‘problem’ for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 20-year-old has started all eight of his side’s Premier League matches so far this season, netting four times, and has predominantly lined up on the right-wing.
Greenwood’s excellent performances have largely kept £72million in summer signing Jadon Sancho out of the starting XI, with the former Borussia Dortmund winger starting just three league matches and largely playing on the left-wing.
While Klopp is a huge fan of Greenwood, he has noted the somewhat negative impact he has had on Sancho – robbing him of the chance to play in his usual position on the right – though says it is the sort of problem managers like to have.
Asked about Greenwood ahead of Sunday’s visit to Old Trafford, Klopp said: ‘Wow! What a talent he is.
‘I think that he has maybe pushed Jadon [Sancho] out of position.
‘Mason can play in the centre, but there is no space anymore, so maybe they will share. It’s a problem that you want to have as a manager, 100 per cent.’
Despite some underwhelming early displays, Klopp is in no doubt about Sancho’s quality, adding: ‘Jadon Sancho is a world-class talent, definitely.
‘He has all the things you need to become really one of the best players in the world in the future, that’s how it is, but he’s still very young.’
Solskjaer, likewise, has no doubts about Sancho, saying: ‘He’s English and lived in Manchester before but he’s not played in the Premier League until now.
‘He’s got Champions League experience, great experience with Dortmund, but now it’s the Premier League is the best league in the world and he’s come in here, he’s going to give us so much in the years to come.
‘He’s humble, he’s hard-working, he wants to learn and I’m looking forward to seeing him develop and blossom because he will.
‘He’s had moments with us that have had the crowd really on the edge of their seats. Can he add the next bit? Yes, I’m sure and he will do.’
Scapegoating Paul Pogba
Paul Scholes reckoned that Paul Pogba should never play for Manchester United again after he was sent off in their 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Scholes has now called on United to offload Pogba and is adamant that the midfielder will not be missed if he left Old Trafford in January.
‘To say a disappointing day would be a complete understatement,’ Scholes told Premier League Productions.
‘I think we all realise it’s been difficult, I just think the manager got caught up in the emotion of the comeback [against Atalanta] on Wednesday night.
‘We keep going back to that game but you were never going to do that against Liverpool, they have too much quality.
‘I don’t think it was a lack of effort, I think tactically they were set up in a way where this could happen and unfortunately it did happen.
‘Paul Pogba coming on to the pitch at halftime to try to help the team and maybe get a little bit of respectability about it, tries to stand on the ball, tries to show how strong he is in the middle of the pitch… gives the goal away.
‘Then, later on, gets sent off with a ridiculous tackle, now you’re 5-0 down with 10 men.
‘You’d have to think if Ole’s still a manager there, will we see Paul Pogba again in a United shirt? He’s caused mayhem over the last couple of years. Everybody knows what a talent he is, everybody trusts him, every manager trusts him, tried to give him his head and let him be the player he’s been.
‘But with all the commotion, not signing his contract, almost holding the club to ransom, and then he comes on and does something like that.
Manchester United will return to the Premier League action next weekend against Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool on the other hand will face Preston North End in the English Football League Cup on Wednesday night.
