Reality check for Manchester United after destruction at Anfield

Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (not pictured) scores their side's seventh goal of the game during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

This was meant to be the day when the battle for the Premier League title became a three-horse race, but Arsenal and Manchester City can rest easy after Manchester United were so brutally destroyed at Anfield that it’s hard to build an argument that they could possibly be contenders.

United’s back four has always been their Achilles heel, they have already conceded six at City and four at Brentford this season, but the shambolic nature of the second half as Liverpool took the score to 7-0 will leave United fans fearing that the good work of the last few months has not yet driven away all their demons.

The shocking way that Liverpool were able to run riot over 45 minutes, with Luke Shaw in particular destroyed by Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo, and Bruno Fernandes sulking sullenly in midfield, will surely have a chilling effect on what can be achieved this season.

It leaves United 14 points adrift of leaders Arsenal, now looking below them at a charging Liverpool rather than above them at the top two.

The irony was that for 40 minutes Erik ten Hag’s men were very good, but the way they collapsed after conceding the first goal was an embarrassment that won’t easily be forgotten.

United’s back four, in particular, imploded at Anfield in the second half, making individual errors that led to goals and losing their composure as Liverpool turned the screw.

They couldn’t handle going a goal down on the stroke of half-time, just when they appeared to have quietened the home crowd, and never regained confidence or momentum as Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah brutally exposed their vulnerability.

It was an uncomfortable reminder for United fans, and for manager Erik ten Hag, that recent title talk was premature, let alone whispers of a ‘quadruple’.

Coming so soon after United ended their trophy drought by beating Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, it was a crushing defeat which bursts United’s bubble just when it was flying high.

Given their recent form there weren’t many people who expected a defeat of this magnitude, but on reflection perhaps there were clues hidden in the stats, despite United’s exciting revival under ten Hag and the form of players such as Marcus Rashford and Casemiro.

United’s attacking threat has certainly grown this season, but the old problem of conceding too many goals away from home has not been resolved.

This result means United have now conceded 27 Premier League goals on the road already this season. Compare that to Arsenal, who have conceded only nine, and you get a clearer picture of where they are in terms of a rebuild.

In fact you have to go all the way down to 14th place and Nottingham Forest to find a team with a worse record. Even Southampton and Everton, both in the bottom three, are considerably better off having conceded 22.

It’s something United will need to address in the longer term and this capitulation will hurt for a long, long time. Old weaknesses pushed their way back to the surface, bringing back memories of United going 4-0 down in the fist half at Brentford, a match which many players have claimed was the catalyst for change in the end.

Anyone who thought those old flaws had completely disappeared, however, will need to think again.

Even Roy Keane had claimed before the match that United were title contenders, saying “I would say they have played themselves into the race over the last few months. They’ve been under the radar after such a difficult start to the season but if you’re a Manchester United player and you look at the table, and you look at the points still available, then you think you’re in with a chance. And if the others do slip up, you could get it. That has to be the mindset.” 

If that is going to happen now, it will take a quite remarkable run of results to achieve it.

By the end of the afternoon Keane was using words such as ‘shocking’ and ‘embarrassing’.

“The players will be embarrassed and ashamed of their performance,” he added. “They didn’t show any pride or spirit.” 

It won’t be easy to put right, either. United have only one more Premier League game – at home to Southampton – this month because of other cup commitments.

The real crunch time comes in April when seven Premier League fixtures (four at home, three away) are shoe-horned into four weeks, including the Easter period.

Those matches include United’s game in hand on the top two, a home match against Brentford which was postponed because of the Carabao Cup final, as well as difficult trips to Newcastle and Tottenham.

It all adds up to a conclusion that Arsenal and Manchester City can breathe easy in a two-horse title race. Despite the hype and the improved results, this United team is still coming up short.