Salah and Liverpool make history with seven-goal rout of Manchester United

Manchester United’s humiliations at the hands of their biggest rivals were supposed to have been confined to last season. But on an afternoon when Liverpool found something that has felt lost at times, sparking what they believe can be a successful push for a top-four finish, Erik ten Hag and his players were reacquainted with their worst nightmares.

This was even worse than the horrors of the previous campaign, mainly because they had made the short journey to Liverpool on a high, having lost only once in 22 matches. The 5-0 and 4-0 drubbings of last season had come when the team were on their knees, almost expecting something terrible.

The Liverpool fans demanded six, which they would get. Then seven, ditto. The craziest of occasions would finish with them asking, implausibly, for eight. That did not happen but by then United were broken, their second-half dereliction complete. This was their biggest ever competitive defeat to their historic rivals.

It felt ridiculous to say but United were comfortable until the 43rd minute, when the outstanding Cody Gakpo scored the opening goal. Ten Hag had wanted to sign the striker in January only for him to choose Anfield. Ten Hag, who ended up with Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley, did not want to be vindicated like this.

Despite it all, Liverpool have generally been good at home this season. Here, they were on another plane during a second-half that will live for ever in the hearts of their supporters.

When Gakpo was substituted late on, he was given a stirring ovation, having scored a second goal of his own: the pick of the bunch, a delicately clipped finish. Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah – who became the cub’s top scorer of the Premier League era – also helped themselves to