Liverpool outclassed a desperate Manchester United 4-0 in an embarrassingly one-sided affair at Anfield in Liverpool yesterday to go top of the English Premier League.
Manchester City can regain the lead against Brighton & Hove Albion today but yesterday victory was another reminder of how Liverpool are determined to chase them down in the hunt for a historic quadruple.
It was also a graphic illustration of the giant task facing Manchester United who were run ragged by the Liverpool powerhouse, with the gulf in quality and attitude between the teams a chasm.
Manchester United were without Cristiano Ronaldo following the death of his newborn son and both sets of supporters paid a moving tribute with applause in the seventh minute of yesterday’s match.
Liverpool were already in front by then, Luis Diaz converting Mohamed Salah’s pass in the 5th minute before he ended his eight-game goalless sequence from Sadio Mane’s brilliant pass in the 22nd minute.
Mane ended any slim hopes that Manchester United had of making it a challenging evening for Liverpool with a first-time finish from Diaz’s pass in the 69th minute before Salah completed the rout with five minutes left in the match.
After their 5-0 win at Old Trafford in October, Liverpool are the first club to score at least eight English Premier League goals against Manchester United in a single season.
The victory moves Liverpool two points clear of defending champions, Manchester City, who have seven matches left to play before facing Brighton & Hove Albion at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Wednesday. It also confirmed that they will play Champions League football next season.
Manchester United, who could have moved level on points with fourth-placed, Tottenham Hotspur, remain sixth.
On Saturday, Liverpool go to Islington in London where they will play against fifth-placed Arsenal.
