Mohamed Salah and Liverpool break records in 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United

Jurgen Klopp's team register biggest margin of victory in the fixture

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  Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal against Manchester United on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Liverpool thrashed United 7-0 at Anfield. EPA

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  Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his second goal against Manchester United at Anfield. AP

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  Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp greets striker Cody Gakpo. AFP

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  Manchester United's Marcus Rashford looks dejected after Liverpool's Darwin Nunez scored their side's fifth goal. PA

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  Darwin Nunez of Liverpool celebrates after scoring against Manchester United. Getty

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  Manchester United's Scott McTominay at Anfield. PA

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  Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag leaves the pitch after the 7-0 defeat at Anfield. AP

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  Liverpool's Cody Gakpo scored twice on Sunday. EPA

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  Liverpool's Cody Gakpo scores. EPA

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  Liverpool's Darwin Nunez celebrates with his teammate Mohamed Salah. EPA

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  Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's fourth goal. AP

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  Liverpool's Darwin Nunez heads the ball. AP

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  Liverpool's Cody Gakpo is challenged by Manchester United's Casemiro. AP

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  Manchester United's Marcus Rashford being clattered. Reuters

Liverpool brought Manchester United crashing down to earth in a stunning 7-0 rout in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday.

Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all struck twice and Roberto Firmino scored the other, with six of the goals coming in an explosive second-half performance.

A week after winning the League Cup, United lost by their heaviest margin to Liverpool.

It also delivered a major blow to Erik ten Hag's four-pronged pursuit of trophies, with a league title challenge now looking increasingly unlikely.

Liverpool, meanwhile, took advantage of losses for top four rivals Newcastle and Tottenham on Saturday to strengthen their own bid to qualify for the Champions League.

Salah became Liverpool's record Premier League scorer as they put the boot into United's chances of joining the title race.

Three of their goals came in a seven-minute spell either side of half-time which left the visitors, who have not won at Anfield since Jurgen Klopp's first encounter with them in January 2016, reeling.

Salah provided a timely reminder of the standards that the next generation have to meet with two goals of his own - either side of a Nunez header - to go past Robbie Fowler as the club's record Premier League scorer with his 128th and 129th goals.

United had looked marginally the better side for 43 minutes before Gakpo's superb finish from Liverpool's first attempt on target gave the hosts the halftime lead.

Within five minutes of the restart it was all over as a contest with Nunez making it 2-0 with a header after some comical United defending before a lightning Liverpool counter-attack led by Salah ended with Gakpo finishing in style for 3-0.

With United in disarray Salah got in on the act with a clinical finish in the 66th minute and Nunez then sent a header past a helpless David De Gea in the 75th.

Salah then rubbed salt into United wounds with a close-range effort to score a record 129th Premier League goal for the club before Roberto Firmino came off the bench to make it seven.

"It was a fantastic day for everyone," Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson told Sky Sports. "The performance level from every single player was top quality today which is something that we've been missing for a while of course.

"Today you could see the energy levels and everything was back, although to be fair the last few Premier League games had shown we were on the right path."