“Freak result,” said a manager. The winning manager, actually. Perhaps only Jurgen Klopp could say it, and perhaps Erik ten Hag was unwise to voice the opinion his side were the better team in the first half. Not when it finished Liverpool 7 Manchester United 0.
“I don’t have an explanation,” said a seemingly shellshocked Ten Hag. He could be forgiven for finding answers elusive. United were unbeaten in 11 games, with a solitary loss in 22 matches in all competitions, with the most points since the World Cup. A day that perhaps promised to bring the end to their Anfield hex instead brought the wrong sort of statement result. It was United’s heaviest defeat since 1931.
