Premier League

Liverpool hammer Man United in record seven goal annihilation at Anfield

March 5, 2023

Liverpool dominated Manchester United in a remarkable 7-0 victory at Anfield. This defeat is United’s heaviest in the Premier League and the club’s joint worst loss across all competitions, only a week after their League Cup win.

Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and Mohamed Salah each scored two goals, while Roberto Firmino scored the remaining goal. Six of the seven goals were scored in the second half, making it a remarkable performance by Liverpool.

This defeat dealt a severe blow to Erik ten Hag’s pursuit of trophies, with the team’s chances of winning the league title now seeming increasingly unlikely. On the other hand, Liverpool seized the opportunity to strengthen its bid to qualify for the Champions League, taking advantage of losses by top-four rivals Newcastle and Tottenham the previous day.

The game also marked a historic moment for Salah, as he became Liverpool’s all-time leading Premier League scorer with 129 goals.

Although Liverpool has struggled for consistency this season, the team’s victory over its fierce rival at Anfield left the crowd in raptures. The win brought Liverpool within three points of fourth-place Tottenham, with Liverpool still having a game in hand.

For Manchester United, the defeat was a significant setback to their title challenge, knowing that anything less than a win would harm their chances after Arsenal’s late 3-2 victory against Bournemouth on Saturday. United had not won at Anfield since 2016 and lost 4-0 in the same fixture last season.

Despite United’s progress under Erik ten Hag, this was another test of his team’s nerve on the big occasion, having already lost to Manchester City and Arsenal this season. Seven days after winning his first trophy at United, the Dutch manager faced this humiliating setback.

Liverpool took the lead in the 43rd minute through Gakpo, who collected Andrew Robertson’s pass and charged into the box before sweeping a shot past David de Gea into the bottom corner.

United had wasted chances of their own before that goal, with Bruno Fernandes missing a far post header and Marcus Rashford firing tamely at Alisson with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Liverpool continued their dominance in the second half, with Nunez heading in Harvey Elliott’s cross to make it 2-0 after Luke Shaw failed to clear the ball. Salah then added to the scoreline with some clever footwork, beating Lisandro Martinez before clipping a pass for Gakpo to score his second goal.

Liverpool ruthlessly exploited United’s defense, with Salah and Nunez scoring again in the 66th and 75th minute, respectively. The score was 6-0 after Salah’s second goal in the 83rd minute, and substitute Firmino completed the rout with a goal in the 88th minute.

Liverpool’s seven goals came from only eight shots on target, making it a humiliating day for Manchester United.