Liverpool vs Man United ratings: Salah, Mane, Diaz all 9; Rashford and Fernandes 2

Salah brace and strikes from Mane and Diaz help inflict embarrassing 4-0 defeat on an ultra-defensive United

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker – 7. The Brazilian made a double save from Rashford and Elanga during Liverpool’s flat period in the second half. He gave the team the wake-up call they needed. EPA

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7. The 23-year-old rampaged forward in the first half. Sancho’s presence after the break meant he had to be more cautious, but he oozed class. Getty

Joel Matip – 7. The 30-year-old was untroubled by United’s forwards. His contribution to the second goal showed how good he is with the ball at his feet. Reuters

Virgil van Dijk – 7. The Dutchman seemed uncertain about Rashford’s positions at times in the first half but was strong in the air and in the tackle. His passing was effective. AP

Andrew Robertson – 8. The Scot was in fine fettle down the left, defending with characteristic steeliness and attacking with intent. He was a catalyst for the third goal and set up the fourth. AFP

Jordan Henderson – 7. The captain was the king of second balls in the first half, pouncing when possession was in question. He tired a little after the break but retained his appetite for work. EPA

Fabinho – 8. The Brazilian choked off any United creativity and ensured Fernandes was kept out of the game. He also got into shooting areas before being withdrawn for Milner with four minutes left. Reuters

Thiago Alcantara – 9. The 31-year-old ran the match and was particularly dominant in the first half. His passing was outstanding until he made way for Keita with 10 minutes to go. Getty

Mohamed Salah – 9. The Egyptian set up the opening goal and scored the second and the fourth. The United defence was reduced to chaos every time the ball came near the striker. Reuters

Sadio Mane – 9. The pass that the Senegalese sent to Salah for the second goal was a thing of beauty. He scored the third with a shot that looked almost casual but was wonderfully precise. AP

Luis Diaz – 9. The Colombian scored the first goal, was involved in the second and made the third in another splendid outing. He gave way for Jota with 21 minutes left. EPA

SUBS: Diogo Jota – 7. The Portuguese replaced Diaz in the 70th minute and his fresh legs brought new fear for the defence. He laid on Salah’s second goal. AP

Naby Keita – 7. The Guinean joined the game in the 80th minute for Thiago. He was eager – perhaps too much so, as he could have seen red for a stamp on Lingard. PA

James Milner – 7. The 36-year-old entered the fray with four minutes to go for Fabinho. As usual, he crammed a lot of action into his cameo and put himself about. AP

MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea 5. It was always going to be a difficult night for the Spaniard. And how it came from Liverpool’s excellent front three, who all scored and assisted goals. AP

Victor Lindelof 4. Difficult night in a back three alongside Jones and Maguire. Hit some promising long balls. Way off the level of players he was up against. Diaz was faster than him. EPA

Phil Jones 3. What could we expect from a player who doesn’t start and is then thrown in against a side chasing the quadruple this season? What we expected is what we saw. Withdrawn at half time. AFP

Harry Maguire 3. Another poor performance by the much-maligned United captain. Pulled out of position by a Liverpool side who drew United out of their deep formation. Reuters

Aaron Wan-Bissaka 3. Back in the team in an ultra-defensive formation with five defenders, he was continually exploited by Liverpool and was no match for the superior players like Diaz and the superb Thiago. EPA

Diogo Dalot 3. Switched from the left to the right to try and get to grips with Liverpool. Couldn’t. Looked out of his depth. Reuters

Nemanja Matic 3. When the Serb passed the ball back to concede a corner after 18 minutes, it summed up United’s inept start. Like asking a man to hold the sea back. He couldn’t have done it at his peak, he certainly can’t do it now. Reuters

Paul Pogba NA. Walked off soon after Liverpool went ahead on four minutes. Not worthy of a mark. Most United fans would not be concerned if they never saw him wear the shirt of their team for years. AP

Bruno Fernandes 2. Gave the ball away too much. Hit a 58th minute free-kick over the wall to nobody. Booked. Deeply frustrated. Apologised to the fans after. It’s not good enough. EPA

Anthony Elanga 3. Started up front before moving towards the right. A boy against men. Almost no threat at all to Liverpool. Getty

Marcus Rashford 2. Little service with such a defensive formation and struggled to read the balls which came his way. Ran at the Liverpool defenders with limited effect. Had a good chance when Liverpool were leading 2-0. Getty

SUBS Jesse Lingard 4. On for Pogba. Battled but making a house from jelly would have been easier for him. Struggled to make the ball stick to his feet. One of many set to leave after this season. EPA

Jadon Sancho 5. On for Jones at half time. Saw more of the ball than his teammates as United enjoyed their best spell after the break. AP

Hannibal Mejbri 6. Youngster gave more effort in the final minutes than most of his teammates did for the entire match. He’s entering the team at one of the lowest moments in their modern history. Getty

Liverpool embarrassed Manchester United for the second time this season to move top of the Premier League as Mohamed Salah struck twice in a 4-0 thrashing on Tuesday.

Jurgen Klopp's men won 5-0 at Old Trafford in October and expectations of a similar rout were well-founded as Liverpool exposed the massive gulf between the sides with Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane also on target.

Liverpool move two points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, but still need the English champions to slip up in their remaining seven league games of the season to win the title.

In contrast to the fine margins separating Liverpool and City, a 22-point gap now lies between the league leaders and United in sixth with only Tottenham and Arsenal's own failings keeping the Red Devils in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.

To see player ratings from Tuesday's match check out the player ratings above.