Mentality monsters? Manchester United were mentally monstered. The scoreline against Liverpool was worse than under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last season.
Unlike the early evacuation of Old Trafford in October 2021, this was utterly at odds with United's recent progress. This was a performance more in keeping with the white flag-waving displays of last season.
The only quadruple United experienced was another minimum four-goal battering. It was nearly double that. Liverpool have eviscerated United 5-0, 4-0 and 7-0 in the last 17 months. This was the fourth 7-0 thrashing in their 145-year history.
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Since the start of last season, United have conceded at least four goals in nine separate shellackings. Few expected a capitulation as gutless as this from a squad whose mentality has been faultless for most of the last six months.
Erik ten Hag stared stoically as full-time loomed. The away end was half empty. Those in white shirts did not merit applause after such an inexplicable surrender. Those who departed early missed another goal.
Steve McClaren still ushered the players towards the away end and there was applause from those who remained. Ten Hag strode onto the pitch, shook hands with the officials, turned, acknowledged Cody Gakpo and stormed towards the tunnel.
This is a result that warrants another punishing run. Maybe worse. The United supporters who endured such a numbing afternoon might advise something more medieval. In added time, Liverpool broke with five players in the United half to three. The scoreline could have broken double figures.
For a team that finds goals hard to come by, United conceded twice to a goalscorer they passed on. United have had little cause to lament the omission of Gakpo from their squad and this aberration is still unlikely to alter that view. But, as the sign states, this is Anfield, and it is the worst postcode in the world for United to be embarrassed as mercilessly as they were.
It will especially smart that Gakpo was the clinical attacker on an afternoon United had chances to go ahead. Both of Gakpo's goals were befitting a forward who has begun to hit his stride in the Premier League. Raphael Varane and David de Gea were expertly deceived and Gakpo is a more prolific mid-season Dutch addition than Wout Weghorst.
Weghorst, now on one goal in 13 matches, is so incapable of fulfilling the role of a goalscorer Ten Hag is playing him farther from goal. Still, Weghorst was not culpable of wasting the glaring opportunity that will keep Marcus Rashford up at night.
United's results have masked their attacking deficiencies and this is far from a free-scoring team. It was a matter of time until United came a cropper and they picked the worst location for their profligacy to cost them.
Only three United players have scored at Anfield since Sir Alex Ferguson headed upstairs and the Scot, sat in the directors' box, will have doubtless agonised over Rashford miscuing a lofted pass inside the area with only Alisson facing him.
Rashford, with 25 goals this term, has carried the United attack and he was bound to be weighed down by the burden sooner or later. He has usually had an organised defence to spare him at the other end.
As demoralising as it must have felt for the United supporters stood in the lower tier of the Anfield Road End, the bigger picture is this is a cup campaign and the notion United were ever championship challengers was baseless chatter. They are a minimum two quality players short and one of those is a consistent goalscorer.
Questions will be asked of United's mettle. Of their six league defeats, three have come at Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool and they have sieved 16 goals in them. "We want six," was one cry from the singing Scousers. It was soon "we want seven" and then "we want eight".
"Liverpool, Liverpool, taking the p--s," the Kop crowed in the 64th minute. There were still three more goals to come. The away end was creditably audible and, from their perspective, it at least beats 'Liverpool, Liverpool, top of the league'. United are well placed to end the season above Liverpool but the gap between two teams having wildly contrasting campaigns is now only seven points. Liverpool will sense there is ample time to reel United in.
Weghorst's shooting was suspect during the warm-up and again he lined up in a withdrawn role behind Rashford. Mohamed Salah, cowed by Lisandro Martinez in the first minute at Old Trafford, was introduced to the United supporters by another South American in Fred, who savoured a sixth-minute goal kick in front of a Brazilian flag coloured in red and white. United had little else to cheer.
Salah got a measure of revenge by leaving Martinez with twisted blood to play in Gakpo for the contest-killing third goal. The Egyptian scored in his fourth game running against United and he has plundered eight overall during that run.
Diogo Dalot, the only starter uncertain of walking out at kick-off, was admonished by Antony for his unproductive use of the ball and Ten Hag and Fred were also on his case. Dalot was sufficiently jolted and created United's first fine chance for Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes regressed so much he expended more energy on whinging than winning.
United's players communicated constantly, a marked contrast to the meek lambs to the slaughter ten months ago. Only four starters from that fractured side lined up for the pre-match handshakes. It was bloodier. At 4-0, Antony started arguing with Ten Hag.
Both clubs implored both sets of supporters not to stoop to the low of the tragedy chanting that was alarmingly audible when United played at Elland Road last month. The Kop baited United's followers with "Fergie's right, your fans are s---e" and while many United fans sardonically applauded the reaction they intended to elicit, some stooped to the low of returning fire by singing about Hillsborough.
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