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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson fume as Man United star left howling in frustration

Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United: It will be a result that will be spoken about for generations at Anfield.

Two goals apiece for Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo left substitute Roberto Firmino to put the cherry on the cake by making it seven late on.

It was a result that defied logic but one that won't ever be forgotten by anyone privileged enough to be inside Anfield on Sunday afternoon. But while Reds supporters were deliriously celebrating the avalanche of second-half goals, there were some other subplots that might have been missed.

Here, the ECHO rounds up all the best of the moments that were missed.

Stroppy Fernandes doesn't fancy it

As captain of Manchester United, it might have been an opportunity for Bruno Fernandes to front up to the media after such a damaging, demoralising defeat; a chance to offer some mitigation or explanation over why it went so wrong for the visitors at the home of their most fierce rivals.

But rather than present a statesmanlike response befitting of a true captain, the United skipper instead decided against it, turning down the opportunity to speak to the assembled press in the post-match media mixed zone.

Clearly in no mood to chat, Fernandes threw something of a strop as he made his way through, making it clear, twice, that he was not interested or up to speaking about such a humiliating afternoon on Merseyside.

That unhappy incident came after a second half that was largely spent waving his arm in frustration at both his team-mates and the officials. It was an afternoon to forget for the Portugal international.

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Henderson and Van Dijk fume at the linesman

With the scoreline poised at 0-0 in the first half, the referee's assistant caught an earful from Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson during one particular United attack at the Kop end.

After Antony had been played through, despite being in an offside position, the flag remained down as the attack developed. Liverpool would eventually clear their lines but that did not stop Henderson dishing out some food for thought for the linesman.

The official was left in no doubt as to Henderson's feelings on the decision as he copped more than an earful from the Reds skipper midway through the first half.

But that wasn't the only time the man with the flag was subjected to a rollicking from the Liverpool players. After Virgil van Dijk was forced to chase down Marcus Rashford to clear for a corner, the Netherlands captain was also visibly frustrated with the call.

It's unclear if Van Dijk thought it was offside or handball from the United forward but it was obvious the No.4 was far from pleased with the decision to allow the play to continue before he was forced to chase down Rashford and put the ball clear of danger.

Salah's timely Nunez intervention

As the goals rained down on the United end in the second half, the only thing the visitors had left was to try and get physical on Liverpool's team.

Luke Shaw was one who tried to ruffle the feathers of Darwin Nunez on 68 minutes and it was a ploy that almost worked for the United left-back.

After barging the two-goal striker to the floor, Shaw then deliberately nudged Nunez further to the deck in a cynical ploy to incite a reaction from the Liverpool star.

And it came close to having the desired effect before Mohamed Salah intervened to hold his colleague back and ensure the temper didn't flare from Nunez, who was sent off for headbutting Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen in August.

Cooler heads prevailed, Nunez calmed down and Liverpool went on to record a famous, historic victory.

Alisson makes Alexander-Arnold demand

United's best chance of the first half came when Bruno Fernandes headed Diogo Dalot's cross wide in front of the Kop.

It was an opportunity that came from Darwin Nunez's slack tracking back to allow the United defender to whip the ball in, but Alisson Becker was demanding more from Trent Alexander-Arnold immediately after the chance went begging.

After seeing the header flash wide of the far post, Alisson instantly sprung up to his feet and implored Alexander-Arnold to get closer to his man at the back post, visibly urging him to push forward.

Ultimately, the message was heeded as the Reds kept their fifth successive clean sheet to help go within three points of the top with a game in hand still to be played.

David de Gea howls at everything

Alisson was not the only goalkeeper left making angry demands of his defence however, but while Liverpool kept a clean sheet, there was to be nothing of the sort for David de Gea down the other end.

After a stunning, sweeping move involving Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo ended with the latter confidently flicking it past the Spain goalkeeper, De Gea could be seen storming about 10 yards from his goalline and venting at everyone and everything and yet oddly no-one in particular.

Was De Gea furious with how Lisandro Martinez had been floored by Mohamed Salah's silky skills? Or how Gakpo's surging run had not been tracked by anyone else at the back? It was probably a bit of everything as the goalkeeper howled towards the Merseyside sky with United suddenly 3-0 down. His annoyance was obvious. De Gea has now conceded 11 times on his last two visits to Anfield.

Salah gets his crown

There's a reason they call Mohamed Salah the 'Egyptian King'. After netting his second of the afternoon to become the club's new leading scorer of the Premier League era with 129 goals, the forward removed his shirt in celebrations in scenes similar to those in this fixture back in 2020 when the Kop started to truly believe the Premier League title was theirs.

Salah joyously took the booking for his efforts but it was also his unofficial coronation by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who placed an imaginary crown on the head of the history-making Reds star.

The goal was marked, officially, by the voice of Anfield himself, George Sephton, who made a note of the goal breaking the record previously held by the legendary Robbie Fowler, who was watching on from the stands in admiration.

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