When a result as seismic as Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool happens, the shockwaves resonate long into the days, weeks and seasons. The immediate aftermath has been dominated by the future of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and the relative merits of any replacement. While those on Merseyside may look on with amusement, more of concern here is the dialogue within the boardrooms and dressing rooms of those teams with which Liverpool are genuinely competing.
The idea of the statement win exists more often in columns like these than quotes from a manager’s press conference. On reflection, some games live long in the memory, not just as an excellent performance or a thumping victory, but as a turning point towards greater success. The kind of matches that put everyone on notice that a team are capable of something special.
While ruminating on this subject for the latest Liverpool.com podcast, it became clear that Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool have made plenty of statements. In each year of their progression, higher and higher hurdles have been navigated, some still sticky with the blood drawn from previous attempts. This is the critical element missed by those in Manchester who cite Klopp as evidence that the Norwegian should be given time; Klopp learned from each setback, armed with a clear plan of how his team would play and how they would catch and overtake those above them.
This setback will likely see the end of Solskjær at Old Trafford, if not this week then before the year is out. For Klopp, this might be the most significant statement win of all, despite the bedraggled mess that stood in front of them. Liverpool’s battles with Manchester City have been pivotal to the title’s destination in the last four seasons, and notwithstanding Chelsea’s entrance into the title arena, the same will be true in 2021/22. And yet, it would take decades for either of them to replace Manchester United as the scalp that delivers the greatest pleasure. They’re still behind Everton.
Even as the teams of Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish conquered England and Europe, Old Trafford was always a formidable place to play football, regardless of form or personnel. For all of the accolades that Klopp’s team have collected, before May 2021 they had found it just as tough. Four draws and two defeats in six games sounds bad enough, but during a period where Liverpool have been imperious at every other ground, and their rivals have been there for the taking, it was the biggest black mark remaining against the German’s name.
Consider that mark permanently erased. None of those legendary sides put the ball in those nets five times. Liverpool haven’t won this fixture this well since Manchester United called themselves Newton Heath. For the rest of his football days, every time the coach pulls into Sir Matt Busby Way, he can raise a smile.
Too often in modern football, stats are massaged to make a point with no concern for context. The consequence often leaves us drowning in numbers, to the point that those that are truly impressive lose their impact (good evening Mr Tyler).
Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool generated an avalanche of stats that are currently pinballing across social media, slapping down any United fan that dare come up for air. Rather than overdose on quantity, there is only one stat needed to illustrate the magnitude of this win. Mohamed Salah is the first man to score a hat trick at Old Trafford in the history of the Premier League.
Manchester United were league champions in 13 of the last 29 seasons. They have arguably never looked this bad, but they have suffered heavy defeats before, including 6-1 to Manchester City almost exactly a decade ago. They have battled Blackburn, Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and City for supremacy and came up against every great striker in the history of the league that did not wear their shirt, as well as a few that did.
Amongst those stellar names and magnificent teams, none could match Mohamed Salah and Liverpool on October 24th 2021. In the eyes of many, Liverpool will need to win the Premier League this season for this to become Jürgen Klopp’s most significant statement. For those that sing his name, that’s a matter for another day. Right now, it’s hard to conceive anything else feeling this good.