Going in at half-time 1-0 down was perhaps a harsh scoreline for Manchester United, with the half providing big chances for the team particularly in the air, with Bruno Fernandes guiding a diving header just wide, shortly before Casemiro’s headed effort would be ruled out for offside.
However, there was nothing harsh in what followed, as United’s total capitulation led to a record-breaking defeat with their Merseyside rivals taking no mercy in putting seven past the disjointed defence.
What exactly happened in the second half, where does the blame lie and what has to change if Erik ten Hag is to avoid this kind of defeat in the future?
Read more: United players report for early meeting with Ten Hag
Defensive calamities
Lisandro Martinez has been one of the signings of the season but in the fixture he was supposed to shine the most, he stood out for the wrong reasons. The Argentine was completely dismantled by Mohammad Salah for Liverpool’s third goal, with the Egyptian turning him one way then the other before putting the World Cup winner on the floor as he found the perfect pass for goal scorer Cody Gakpo.
Martinez’s defensive partner Raphael Varane was also way off his usual standards, with the centre-back pairing only managing to win only two aerial duals between them before Martinez was substituted in the 76th minute. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool finally looked like the Champions League and Premier League-winning sides of the past, but Ten Hag has to be furious with how easy it was for the home side to carve United’s defence open at will regardless of the form of Liverpool.
Each and every goal could have been avoided if not for consistent mistakes from the United defence, whether it was the ball catapulting off Scott McTominay to find a completely unmarked Salah in the box, or Luke Shaw clearing the ball straight into Roberto Firmino to set up Salah’s second.
Indiscipline
A rivalry of this magnitude will always provide a heated spectacle but United’s lack of discipline in the second half seemed to come from frustration and temper tantrums rather than the passion you would expect. All three of United’s yellow cards came in an 11-minute spell in the second half, just as the game was starting to get away from them.
The actions of captain Bruno Fernandes also turned heads with the Portuguese international seeming to completely lose his head as the scoreline continued to get worse. United’s midfield maestro appeared to be visibly annoyed with Ten Hag that he wasn’t getting substituted as the margin of defeat increased. Some of the antics displayed mirrored those of the squads that downed tools against Brentford earlier in the season and in both Liverpool fixtures last season. The match was a big wake-up call for United.
Substitutions
It would be very harsh to put blame on Ten Hag for the overall performance but the substitutions have to be scrutinised as they made things worse. Ten Hag has been adept at utilising substitutes this season with youngster Alejandro Garnacho frequently getting involved in the goals off the bench, but the teenager didn’t have the desired impact along with Scott McTominay who failed to lock-down the midfield with the Scotsman only managing to complete two passes in 32 minutes of action.
The substitution of Casemiro with 15 minutes to play also seemed odd considering the Brazilian was without a booking in the match and none of the back four had more clearances than him. Casemiro like every United player was nowhere near his best, but he was one of the few determined to put their body on the line to prevent the situation from getting worse. It can only be assumed he was being rested by his manager, but the two goals conceded following his substitution put a spotlight on Ten Hag’s decision.
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