Mueez Ajao
– Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool ran riot against Manchester United to lead 4-0 by half-time at Old Trafford on Sunday before the Egyptian added a fifth early in the second half.
– Naby Keita and Diogo Jota put Jurgen Klopp’s men in command inside 15 minutes before Salah continued his scintillating form to become the top-scoring African player in the Premier League’s history.
– is the first time United have ever trailed 4-0 at half-time in a Premier League game.
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– United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was greeted with a chorus of boos at the half-time whistle with his future in charge of the Red Devils increasingly under threat.
– Solskjaer’s men had taken just one point from their previous three league games to fall eight points behind Chelsea at the top of the table.
– United came from 2-0 down at the break to beat Atalanta 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
– But former midfielder Paul Scholes’ warning after that match that Liverpool would be 4-0 up in 45 minutes if handed the same space to attack into came to fruition.
– United have now kept just one clean sheet in 21 games and the defensive issues that have blighted their season were easily exposed by Liverpool.
– Salah set up Keita to slot home the opener after just five minutes.
– Jota justified his selection ahead of Sadio Mane as he stretched to turn in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross to double Liverpool’s advantage.
– Salah has now scored in 10 consecutive games and overtook Didier Drogba with his 105th Premier League goal when turned home Keita’s cut-back with the United defence all at sea again.
– Cristiano Ronaldo was lucky to avoid a red card as United’s frustrations bubbled over in first-half stoppage time as he was booked for lashing out at Curtis Jones.
– But Liverpool inflicted further punishment before the break when Salah smashed home his 14th goal in 12 games this season at David de Gea’s near post.
– Salah then completed his hat-trick with another cool finish five minutes into the second-half to make it 5-0.
