Erik ten Hag said his Manchester United players were “unprofessional” in an “unacceptable” performance at Anfield as Liverpool inflicted a 7-0 defeat that equals the club’s heaviest-ever loss.
Two goals each from Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, who became Liverpool’s all-time top Premier League scorer, and one from Roberto Firmino gave Liverpool their biggest win against United and equaled the visitors’ all-time worst defeat of 7-0 against Blackburn Rovers in 1926, Aston Villa in 1930 and Wolves in 1931.
“Second half, it was just not us,” Ten Hag said. “It was not our standards. We didn’t play as a team. It was unprofessional. Yes [I am angry]. Definitely.
“I am surprised because I have seen the last weeks and months this team is resilient and has a winning attitude.
“Second half, we didn’t have a winning attitude at all. We didn’t stick to the plan and we didn’t do our jobs. We didn’t track back and it was really unprofessional.
“We have seen in the past we can bounce back. After Brentford, after Manchester City. This is definitely a strong setback and is unacceptable. I’m really disappointed and angry about it. It is a reality check. We have to take this strong.”