Mohamed Salah maintained his scintillating form with a hat-trick and Paul Pogba was sent off as Liverpool hammered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s shambolic Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford.
Liverpool humiliated their fierce rivals to pile more pressure on Red Devils boss Solskjaer, with Jurgen Klopp celebrating 200 wins as manager of the Merseyside club in dream fashion.
United were blown away as they went in at half-time four goals down for the first time in a Premier League game, making it all too easy for the Reds as Naby Keita and Diogo Jota were on target before Salah struck twice.
The magnificent Salah completed his hat-trick early in the second half, taking his goal tally for the season to 15, before substitute Pogba was dismissed for a poor challenge on Keita.
Salah has now scored in 10 consecutive games and Liverpool are unbeaten in 21 matches, while United are in disarray after the most chastening of defeats in their own backyard.
Keita silenced the United faithful when he capitalised on poor defending to slide beyond David de Gea with his right foot after being slipped in by Salah.
That strike in the fifth minute was the Reds’ earliest at Old Trafford in the Premier League and they did not have long to wait for a second, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross giving Jota a tap-in after a mix-up between Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.
Liverpool, already without the injured Fabinho, lost James Milner midway through the first half but Salah put them out of sight with a double before the break after Alisson had denied Mason Greenwood.
The abysmal Red Devils were all over the place and the ruthless Egypt forward made them pay, finishing with his right foot when he was picked out by Keita and tucking home with his left from close range just before a half-time whistle that was greeted with loud boos.
Salah completed his treble five minutes into the second half, racing onto Jordan Henderson’s incisive pass before beating De Gea with a clinical left-foot finish after Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside.
United’s day took yet another turn for the worse when Pogba was dismissed for a reckless lunge on Keita following a VAR check, having initially been shown a yellow card on the hour mark.
Keita was unable to continue and the United players look like they would rather not, as only a brilliant save from De Gea prevented Alexander-Arnold adding a sixth.
Andrew Robertson’s block sent the ball crashing against the crossbar late on to prevent Edinson Cavani from finding the back of the net and there were inevitably more boos at the final whistle to end a totally one-sided contest.
What does it mean? Solskjaer under huge scrutiny, Reds a class apart
Solskjaer has had some difficult days during his United tenure but sunk to a new low as his side suffered a brutal beating.
The Red Devils gifted Liverpool, who could have moved up another couple of gears if needed, control and looked like a team of strangers, slumping to an embarrassing defeat that leaves them seventh in the Premier League – seven points behind their second-placed opponents.
Liverpool were ruthless as they toyed with United, stretching their unbeaten run in the top flight to 19 games to remain the only side not to have lost this season.
No stopping sensational Salah
Salah is arguably the best player in the world at the moment and he took full advantage of United’s huge shortcomings, becoming the leading African goalscorer in Premier League history when he took his astonishing tally to 104.
In a week during which he said he wants to stay at Anfield for life, Salah also became the first away player to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford for over 18 years – Brazil legend Ronaldo being the last for Real Madrid in April 2003.
Salah is also the first player in history to score at United in three successive Liverpool visits, while he is the second in the club’s history to score in their first five away league matches of a season – joining Sam Raybould, who did so in five during 1902-03.
Pogba sums up United’s day
France midfielder Pogba made anything but the impact his manager was looking for when he came on at the break.
He was dispossessed in midfield before Salah put Liverpool five goals up and then rightly got his marching orders for a poor challenge on Keita.
Key Opta Facts
– Manchester United have only lost by a larger margin in this fixture in October 1895 when Liverpool beat them 7-1 at Anfield. It is their largest margin of defeat in this fixture when playing at home.
– Liverpool are only the second team in English top-flight history to win consecutive away games by a margin of five or more goals without conceding themselves, after Manchester United in February/March 1960.
– United lost by a margin of five or more goals at Old Trafford without scoring themselves for the first time since a 5-0 defeat at home to Manchester City in February 1955 under Matt Busby.
– Liverpool have scored 19 goals in their first five away matches in the Premier League this season. In English top-flight history only two sides have scored more after five away games – Manchester City in 2011-12 (20) and Manchester United in 1907-08 (20).
What’s next?
United will be licking their wounds before travelling to face Tottenham next Saturday. Liverpool take on Preston North End in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, then meet Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield next weekend.