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Falling from the seventh heaven: Liverpool's historic 7-0 over United is a sign of things to come? - Walla! sport

2023-03-06T07:36:28.238Z


The collapse of the Red Devils in the second half was magnificent, as was the performance of the hosts that completely destroyed Manchester United's dreams of winning all the titles. But will this have any consequences?


Summary: Liverpool - Manchester United 0:7 (Sport1)

It's interesting to remember how it started.

The previous meeting between Manchester United and Liverpool, in the third round in August, was definitely decisive for both teams.

The Red Devils came to him after a pair of losses in Erik ten Haag's opening tenure, including a 4-0 defeat against Brentford that was supposed to be their most humiliating of the season.

Liverpool did start with two draws, but enjoyed the glory of the victory over Manchester City in the community shield, and in general was seen as one of the best in the world after the great season in 2021/22.

She was supposed to trample the opponent at Old Trafford, as she did last year, inflicting the Dutch coach with a third consecutive loss - and you will know how it was possible to recover from this blow.



Instead, Manchester United deservedly won 1:2, and this result defined the rest of the season for both clubs.

It wasn't a stable line, of course, but Ten Haah's group gradually gained positive momentum, the boss was crowned in the media for a promotion that managed to bridge the cracks and bring a new mentality, and last week the first prize arrived in the form of a first title since 2017 - the team lifted the league cup after a 0 win: 2 over Newcastle in the final.



On the other hand, Liverpool faded away with countless problems in all formations, injuries contributed their share, the link completely collapsed in too many games, self-confidence evaporated, and the shockingly low breaking point was put on display in the historic 5:2 defeat at Anfield against Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League - this after the Reds They took a quick 0:2 lead.



All this made Manchester United kind of favorites yesterday.

"We want to win all four titles," declared Vot and Horst as part of the celebrations at Wembley, and these optimistic ambitions Liverpool were eager to eliminate.

She herself is well aware of the dream that accompanied her last season, and it was - it must be said - much more realistic than the announcements of the converted Dutchman.

How can one recover from such a blow? (Photo: Reuters)

Jurgen Klopp's men wanted to beat the arch rival for their own sake, of course.

The losses of Tottenham (it already has 5 of them in 2023) and the offensive collapse of Newcastle, who scored 3 times in the last 8 league games and won one of them, suddenly made the qualification for the Champions League very realistic.

Until recently, Liverpool was Chelsea's neighbor in the center of the table, but now the situation was different, and the mood improved a little despite the resounding fiasco against Real.

The understanding that the German coach will be required to rebuild the team has not disappeared, but a feeling has been added that this construction has already begun - at least in regards to the front three in which Darwin Nunes and Cody Gakpo joined Mohamed Salah and began to acclimatize.



For Gakpo, yesterday was a special game, because he faced the team he wanted to join last summer, and to which he is also linked in the last transfer window in January.

His coach in Eindhoven, the well-known Red Devil Rod van Nistelrooy, strongly recommended him to come to Old Trafford, but Virgil van Dijk did important preparatory work during the World Cup, and in the end the striker landed at Anfield, where the fans received him with mixed emotions.

They had nothing personal against him, and the price was certainly reasonable, but it wasn't entirely clear why another winger was needed when Luis Dias and Diego Jota were supposed to be recovering from their injuries, while the holes in the center of the pitch cried out to the heavens.

So Gakpo symbolized, if you will, the mistakes made in the maintenance of the staff, and he had to prove that he was indeed necessary.



Yesterday, on the big stage, he removed the doubts.

Klopp uses him in an unusual role as a central striker, although in the Netherlands he was often a winger, while Nunes, who is seemingly better suited to play in the box, is shifted to the left.

This formation allows them to change places with high frequency and therefore makes guarding somewhat difficult for the defensive players.

That's how Gakpo found himself free and happy in the box in the 43rd minute after a pass from Andy Robertson, buried the ball in David de Gea's net and completely changed the whole picture.



By then, things were moving closer to Tan Haah's plan.

The visitors were more dangerous, the fiery Marcus Rashford carelessly and uncharacteristically missed a big chance, and one can agree with the Dutchman who claimed that Manchester United were better - this despite the fact that the placement of Wachhorst as a regular playmaker caused eyebrows to be raised again, and the shift of Bruno Fernandes to the left wing limited him .

And Horst does a fantastic job of putting pressure on the ball carriers, but there is still a problem with him pushing the Portuguese aside.

When you remember that Gakpo was a preferred option compared to him, the disintegration after the break takes on another angle - and it was a magnificent disintegration for sure.

The day after the historic 0:7

Ten HaZam was furious: "You must not lose like that, 11 players lost their heads"


Salah broke every possible record, Klopp went out of his way: "Amazing. Spectacular!"


Watch the summary: Unforgettable 0:7 for Liverpool over Manchester United at Anfield

Changed the whole picture.

Gakpo (Photo: Reuters)

She was so grotesque that you can't jump to any long-term conclusions about this half total, but she certainly raises questions about her mental fortitude.

Casemiro, who added so much wine and experience and received so much praise, failed yesterday.

Fred, who improved miraculously in the last months and even became a scorer, failed yesterday.

Lisandro Martinez, the fearless fighter who proved himself above and beyond for the manager who brought him from Ajax, failed miserably yesterday.

In fact, who didn't fail yesterday when every Liverpool attack was supposed to end in a goal?

0:7.

who would believe?



So Gakpo completed a pair, Nunes contributed a pair of strikes, Salah cooked artfully for the Dutchman and scored a pair of his own, but it was the final chord that was the most exciting.

Last week Liverpool fans were informed that Roberto Firmino will not extend his contract and will leave the club.

This is natural given his new status, and his prime far behind him, but saying goodbye to such an important symbol of Klopp's glory years will be sad.

Yesterday was his last game against Manchester United in the red shirt, and Bobby bombed when he came in for Gakpo who received loud applause.

This is his 10th goal of the season in all competitions despite a limited number of minutes, and he could be a great asset for his next team.



The stands were enthusiastic - and immediately demanded to score the eighth as well.

Last season, when they won 0:5 at Old Trafford and 0:4 at Anfield, Liverpool took pity on the beaten opponent and did not press the pedal until the end.

Yesterday, with the support of the fans, the circumstances were different, and the goal was to humiliate Manchester United as much as possible - both to return it to its natural dimensions, and to restore the morale that was lost.

It ended with the highest score in the history of meetings between the teams, and the highest defeat of the Red Devils since 1931. This evening entered the history books and will remain there forever, but the main question is how - if at all - it will affect the rest.

More in Walla!

Salah broke every possible record, Klopp went out of his way: "Amazing. Spectacular!"

To the full article

A decisive defeat or another day in history?

United against Newcastle in 1996 (Photo: GettyImages)

These kinds of defining defeats can change everything.

Take, for example, Barcelona's 5-0 win over Real Madrid in November 2010, which was the watershed in Jose Mourinho's career - the Portuguese has not recovered since.

On the other hand, it could be "another day in the history of Manchester United" as defined by Alex Ferguson.

In October 1996, the Scot's team was defeated 5:0 in Newcastle, which was then the most important rival at the top, while the Belgian stopper Philippe Alber scored the fifth goal with a spectacular jump over Peter Schmeichel.

6 days later, Il Berkovic's big celebration resulted in Southampton 3:6 over the Red Devils who conceded 11 goals in two rounds.

It felt like a humiliation and a collapse of systems, and then came a third consecutive loss to Chelsea, but in the final table Ferguson was ranked at the top as the champion of England.



Newcastle's top five is still well remembered, but it is still only a footnote.

Will Liverpool's seven play a similar role, or will it seriously damage Ten Haag's project and lead to his early departure?

It is impossible to know at this stage, and the correct mental reaction of the coach and the players will be required for the first option to be closer to reality.

As for Liverpool, this show has the power to help Klopp turn a new page and turn a catastrophic season into something much more beautiful and symbolize the end of the crisis, but this too will only happen if the mental attitude is correct, and the players do not lose touch with reality.

  • sport

  • world football

  • English League

Tags

  • Liverpool

  • Manchester United

Source: walla

All sports articles on 2023-03-06

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