Draft:Liverpool F.C. 7–0 Manchester United F.C.

Liverpool v Manchester United
Event2022–23 Premier League
Date5 March 2023
VenueAnfield, Liverpool
Man of the MatchMohamed Salah (Liverpool)
RefereeAndrew Madley
Attendance53,001

The 2022–23 Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield, Liverpool, took place on 5 March 2023.[1] Liverpool won 7–0, thus recording their biggest ever competitive win against Manchester United. This surpassed their previous record, which was set in October 1895, a 7–1 victory in the Second Division. This was also the joint-biggest ever defeat suffered by Manchester United and the heaviest since Wolverhampton Wanderers beat them by the same score-line in 1931.[2][3]

The match was highly significant in that it was a part of the strong Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry in the Northwest Derby, an inter-city derby which is widely considered the biggest fixture across English football and which is also one of the fiercest rivalries in association football across the globe.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Moreover, Mohamed Salah's two goals in the match meant that he became Liverpool's all-time top scorer in the Premier League with 129 goals, overcoming Robbie Fowler's tally of 128. Salah also became the first Liverpool player to score against Manchester United in five consecutive games.[10] With his first goal against Manchester United, Salah became the highest scoring Egyptian ever with 303 career goals, surpassing Hossam Hassan who had scored 302 goals for club & country in all competitions between 1985 and 2007.

Background

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In the portion of the 2022–23 Premier League season preceding the historic game, Liverpool, who were runners-up in the previous season,[11] were failing to live up to expectations due in part to the decline in form of many players along with a long injury list.[12][13][14][15][16][17] Moreover, Liverpool lost 2–1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 22 August 2022. This was United's first league win against Liverpool since March 2018.[18] Despite this, Liverpool had opened the 2022–23 season by winning the 2022 FA Community Shield with a 3–1 win over Manchester City.[19] On the other hand, Manchester United seemed to be a resurgent force;[20] having established themselves in the Champions League places and having won the EFL Cup, claiming their first trophy since 2017.[21] Manchester United's game against Liverpool was their first league game after their victory in the EFL Cup.

Team selection

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Jürgen Klopp selected youngster Harvey Elliott to start alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in midfield. In a press conference after the game, Klopp explained why he had selected Elliott, stating that "Harvey [had] played a top game the other night against Wolves, had the highest counter-pressing outcome of any player in the Premier League this season so if that is not a qualification for starting again then I don't know one, to be honest".[22] With the absence of Luis Díaz due to injury, both Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo started in the front line when normally only one of the two would have done so. Erik ten Hag selected a standard line-up, however, he chose to start the improving Diogo Dalot[23][24] over Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Match

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Summary

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In the first half, the game appeared to be relatively even, with both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford missing presentable chances. However, former Old Trafford target Cody Gakpo scored a well-placed goal past David de Gea two minutes before the half-time break after being assisted by Andrew Robertson.[1]

Darwin Núñez scored after 2 minutes of the second half with a header, being assisted by Harvey Elliott. Three minutes later, Mohamed Salah dribbled past and beat defender Lisandro Martínez to play in Gakpo for another goal. Following this, Salah finished a counter-attack by powering a shot, which ricocheted off the underside of the crossbar, into the net. Núñez then scored another header from Jordan Henderson's cross. Proceeding this, Salah scored a close-range goal to become Liverpool's highest Premier League goalscorer. Finally, substitute Roberto Firmino, who had just previously announce that he would depart from Liverpool at the end of the season, nutmegged de Gea to score Liverpool's seventh goal.[1]

Details

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[25]

Liverpool7–0Manchester United
Report
Anfield, Liverpool
Attendance: 53,001
Referee: Andrew Madley
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liverpool
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Manchester United[26]
GK 1   Alisson
RB 66   Trent Alexander-Arnold   83'
CB 5   Ibrahima Konaté
CB 4   Virgil van Dijk
LB 26   Andrew Robertson
CM 19   Harvey Elliott   85'
CM 3   Fabinho   41'   79'
CM 14   Jordan Henderson (c)   78'
RF 11   Mohamed Salah   84'
CF 18   Cody Gakpo   79'
LF 27   Darwin Núñez   79'
Substitutes:
GK 62   Caoimhín Kelleher
DF 21   Kostas Tsimikas
DF 32   Joël Matip
DF 43   Stefan Bajcetic   78'
MF 7   James Milner   79'
MF 28   Fábio Carvalho
MF 17   Curtis Jones   85'
CF 9   Roberto Firmino   79'
LF 20   Diogo Jota   79'
Manager:
  Jürgen Klopp
GK 1   David de Gea
RB 20   Diogo Dalot
CB 19   Raphaël Varane
CB 6   Lisandro Martínez   61'   76'
LB 23   Luke Shaw
CM 18   Casemiro   76'
CM 17   Fred   58'
RW 21   Antony   53'
CM 27   Wout Weghorst   58'
AM 8   Bruno Fernandes (c)
CF 10   Marcus Rashford   85'
Substitutes:
GK 22   Tom Heaton
DF 5   Harry Maguire
DF 12   Tyrell Malacia   76'
DF 29   Aaron Wan-Bissaka
MF 15   Marcel Sabitzer   76'
MF 39   Scott McTominay   64'   58'
FW 25   Jadon Sancho
FW 49   Alejandro Garnacho   58'
CF 36   Anthony Elanga   85'
Manager:
  Erik ten Hag
Match rules
  • 90 minutes
  • Nine named substitutes
  • Maximum of five substitutions[a]

Statistics

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Overall[25]
Statistic Liverpool Manchester United
Goals scored 7 0
Total shots 18 8
Shots on target 8 4
Touches 669 504
Passes 468 314
Tackles 17 15
Clearances 11 25
Ball possession 59.6% 40.4%
Corner kicks 4 3
Fouls conceded 13 14
Offsides 0 4
Yellow cards 2 3
Red cards 0 0

Aftermath

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Klopp declared in a press conference that the match had seen a "freak result" and a "top performance" from his side, continuing, "A really top performance from the start, I thought the way we started the game was really special, the best for a long, long, long, long, long, long time. We were there, we were aggressive but we played football."[22] Klopp also stated that the goal scored by "Bobby [Firmino] tonight was obviously the most special moment because of the reception he got".[22] Darwin Núñez was described by Klopp as a "future impact when he settles because he is a real force of nature". Klopp also praised Cody Gakpo, who he opined was playing in a "super-tricky" role, and also gave high and all due praise to Andy Robertson, Harvey Elliott, Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson, among others.[22] A resurgent Fabinho was highly praised for his performance and was described as "back" by his manager.[27][28][22] On the other hand, Bruno Fernandes was criticised for allegedly asking to be substituted, with former Manchester United player Gary Neville labelling Fernandes' behaviour "disgraceful". Roy Keane also said: "Fernandes' body language today was nothing short of disgraceful. A really talented boy, he's your captain, but his body language, waving his arms, not running back, you wouldn't be happy with him in your dressing room."[29] In his interview, Erik ten Hag described his team's performance as "unacceptable, unprofessional".[30] The following morning, ten Hag, attempting to punish the team for the defeat, forced his squad to sit in silence and listen to the audio of Liverpool's “ecstatic” celebrations in their dressing room.[31] Moreover, ten Hag told his players that they were lucky to return to Manchester on their team bus rather than make the journey home with their angered away supporters. He also warned his squad that a repeat of such a performance would lead to them being forced to train with the club's Under-21s, and that they should expect to have more sessions with sports psychologist Rainier Koers to aid them in managing with “humiliation”.[31]

Legendary referee Pierluigi Collina later criticised an aspect of the officiating in the game, stating that Manchester United should have been forced to play the full amount of added time in the game despite their one-sided score-line.[32]

In Liverpool's next league game on 11 March 2023, they were defeated by Bournemouth with a score of 1-0. The score was seen as a shock, given the result of Liverpool's previous match.[33] In Manchester United's next league game on 12 March 2023, they experienced a goalless draw to Southampton in which Casemiro received a red card.[34]

Notes

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  1. ^ Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding substitutions made at half-time.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United". BBC Sport. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  2. ^ McNulty, Phil (5 March 2023). "Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United: Reds thrash old rivals in Anfield rout". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  3. ^ Hayes, Andy (5 March 2023). "Liverpool thrash Manchester United 7-0 in historic defeat". Sky News. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  4. ^ Ogden, Mark (16 June 2021). "Premier League 2021-22 fixtures: How will schedule shape title race?". ESPN. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  5. ^ Makim, Gareth; Costello, Lee; Jennings, Luke; Lloyd, Simon (22 March 2015). "Quiz: Can you remember who scored these famous Liverpool v Manchester United goals?". SportsJOE.ie. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  6. ^ Souness, Graeme (7 March 2018). "Football News". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  7. ^ Swettenham, Lee; Booth, Dominic (23 October 2021). "Manchester United vs Liverpool rivalry in 65 iconic images". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Football's biggest derbies". The Courier Online. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Biggest Soccer Rivalries in the World". bootsnall.com. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Liverpool vs Manchester United: Salah breaks hearts and records in Anfield romp". The Times. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  11. ^ Wallace, Sam; Thomas, Harri (22 May 2022). "Liverpool's victory over Wolves in vain as quadruple bid ends". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  12. ^ Jones, Neil (3 April 2023). "Virgil van Dijk's form is seriously worrying for Liverpool – they must pray it's only a short-term blip". Goal. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Out-of-gas Fabinho has become a symbol of Liverpool's decline". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Past it now – Sergio Busquets, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Fabinho". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Klopp only willing to sign 'right player' for Liverpool despite Thiago injury". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  16. ^ "The reasons Liverpool have made their worst start to a season under Jürgen Klopp". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Why have Liverpool made such a slow start to the Premier League season?". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  18. ^ McNulty, Phil (22 August 2022). "Manchester United 2–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Liverpool 3 Man City 1: Live". BBC Sport. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  20. ^ Nelson, Joe (11 January 2023). "Ten Hag becomes fastest United manager to 20 wins". Manchester United F.C. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  21. ^ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2023). "Manchester United 2–0 Newcastle United: Erik ten Hag's side win Carabao Cup for first trophy since 2017". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e "Jürgen Klopp on Liverpool 7-0 Man Utd: 'A really top performance from the start'". Liverpool F.C. March 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Diogo Dalot gives Erik ten Hag two new reasons to change his Man Utd transfer plan". The Mirror. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Ingleses exultam Dalot: "Uma incrível reviravolta e lateral para os próximos 10 anos"". A Bola. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United". Premier League. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  26. ^ "All you need to know ahead of the Carabao Cup Final 2023". English Football League. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  27. ^ "Unbeaten Liverpool midfield trio supercharged by Fabinho resurgence as Manchester United helpless". Liverpool F.C. News. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  28. ^ "How Fabinho played his way back into form to become a key figure for Liverpool again". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  29. ^ "'Disgraceful' Bruno Fernandes ripped to shreds by Man Utd legend Gary Neville after he spotted midfielder asking to come off in 7-0 humiliation at Liverpool". Goal. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Erik ten Hag slams 'unacceptable, unprofessional' Manchester United after humilating 7-0 defeat at Liverpool". EuroSport. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Listening to Liverpool celebrations & threats of demotion - How Erik ten Hag punished his Manchester United players after 7-0 drubbing at Anfield". Goal. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  32. ^ "No mercy! Manchester United should have been forced to play full added time in 7-0 Liverpool rout, says referees chief Pierluigi Collina". Goal. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Bournemouth 1–0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  34. ^ "Manchester United 0–0 Southampton". BBC Sport. 2023-03-12.