Mohamed Salah thanks defence as Klopp praises 'too good' Liverpool

Reds eases to a 4-0 win over Manchester United at Anfield to move top of the Premier League table

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates with Diogo Jota after scoring the fourth goal in the 4-0 rout of Manchester United at Anfield on April 19. AP

Luis Diaz scores the first goal past David de Gea. EPA

Luis Diaz celebrates after scoring. AFP

Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool's second. PA

Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates. Reuters

Liverpool's Alisson celebrates after Mohamed Salah scored their second goal. Reuters

Sadio Mane celebrates scoring Liverpool's third goal. PA

Sadio Mane scores the third goal. Getty

Mane celebrates with Luis Diaz. Getty

Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring Liverpool's fourth goal. AFP

Salah scores the fourth goal whilst under pressure from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Getty

Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the fourth goal. Getty

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates after the match. Reuters

Mohamed Salah lauded Liverpool's midfield and defence following an emphatic 4-0 victory at Anfield on Tuesday.

Premier League title-chasing Liverpool were a class apart against a struggling Manchester United side, racing into a 2-0 lead through Luis Diaz and Salah inside the first 22 minutes. Jurgen Klopp's side scored twice more in the second half, with Sadio Mane grabbing the third before Salah completed his double five minutes from time.

It was about as routine a victory as Liverpool could have hoped for and followed the 5-0 win the Reds earned in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in October.

"They [Liverpool's defence] make our life easier in the midfield and in the back, they always try to give us the ball in a one against one situation so it makes our life much easier," said Salah, who also tormented United at Old Trafford by scoring a hat-trick.

"When we defend we had a clean sheet here and a clean sheet there, so they make our life easier.

"We just want to score one goal and once we get the first, go for the second, once we get the second go for the third. It was a top performance from us here and away also. Hopefully carry on like this."

Salah later took to social media to clarify his statement. "I meant our midfield, and our defence, make it easy for us. I was not talking about the Manchester United players whom I respect," Salah posted on Twitter.

Liverpool manager Klopp was understandably delighted with his team after moving top of the Premier League table, two points ahead of Manchester City, who can return to the summit with victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.

"I did enjoy tonight, indeed," Klopp told Sky Sports. "The first half we were really in charge of the game but then it is a 15-minute break and then we needed another 15 minutes to be ourselves.

Liverpool v Man United player ratings

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

"Our counter press was second to none, the speed and the desire the boys showed tonight. It was a really good game and we scored wonderful goals. Everyone is happy tonight."

For all of Liverpool's brilliance, Klopp insisted his "moment of the game" came in the seventh minute when Anfield erupted in applause to show support for Cristiano Ronaldo, his partner Georgina Rodriguez, and their family after the death of their newborn son.

“My moment of the game, even though it was very important and a great result, was the seventh minute when our people showed pure class,” Klopp said. “The whole stadium together showed pure class.

Andy Mitten's reaction from Anfield

“Obviously, everybody knew since yesterday, I heard for the first time about it. There are so many things much more important in life than football, and obviously, we really feel for Cristiano and his family.

“So that was my moment of the game.”

While Liverpool continue their pursuit of a historic quadruple, United's season goes from bad to worse. Sixth in the Premier League table, United face an uphill task to finish in the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League, but Klopp expects the Old Trafford club to be back among the contenders before too long.

“I know it will not last forever," the German said. "They will strike back, they will be there again, this club is too powerful. But in the moment, for tonight, we were too good, that’s the truth.”