Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the last thing I want to be is in Solskjaer s shoes as he showed sympathy for his Manchester United counterpart following Sunday s 5-0 Premier League humbling at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United endured a dark day in Manchester, where the embattled Red Devils were embarrassed as Liverpool ran riot on enemy turf.
Mohamed Salah became the first Premier League player to score an away hat-trick against United, while Naby Keita and Diogo Jota were also on target for Liverpool – who led 4-0 at half-time before Paul Pogba came off the bench and was sent off within 15 minutes to add to the hosts misery.
United have only lost by a larger margin against Liverpool in October 1895 when the Reds beat them 7-1 at Anfield, while it was their largest margin of defeat in this fixture when playing at home as pressure mounts on under-fire boss Solskjaer.
5 Liverpool are only the second team in English top-flight history to win consecutive away games by a margin of 5+ goals without conceding themselves, after Manchester United in February/March 1960. Special.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Oh yeah, of course, Klopp told reporters when asked if he had sympathy for Solskjaer as Liverpool moved within a point of leaders Chelsea and United dropped to seventh and eight points off the pace.
I said it before, the last thing I want to be is in his shoes in that moment, but that s just how it is.
In these moments when you lose a game, when you lose a derby especially, it happened to me as well, you don t want to go out there in the mixed zone and give all the interviews and answer all these questions. So, for sure, it s not a nice night, so yes of course [I have sympathy].
Liverpool became only the second team in English top-flight history to win consecutive away games by a margin of five-plus goals without conceding themselves, after United in February-March 1960.
Klopp s Liverpool have scored 19 goals in their first five away matches in the Premier League this season. In English top-flight history only two sides have scored more after five away games – Manchester City in 2011-12 (20) and United in 1907-08 (20).
5 Manchester United have suffered their heaviest ever defeat at home to Liverpool, whilst it s the first time they have lost to-nil by 5+ goals at home since February 1955 (5-0 v Man City). Erosion.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
On whether the result represented one of the greatest days of his career, Klopp – a Champions League, Premier League and Bundesliga winner – added: I didn t think about it, yet. It s a good day, a really good day and I don t want to be disrespectful. I have no idea, but it s a big one. We know that.
Obviously after the game I got told that never happened in the long history of Liverpool Football Club; this group always wanted to write their own little chapters for the big, big history book of this club.
This one was a little one tonight, a little chapter. People will talk about it in the future, 100 per cent, because it will not happen very often, if it happens again at all. We saw the game as well and we know we were lucky in two or three situations where United could have scored in the first half. I think they should have scored the first one, but that doesn t make our performance [any less], that’s just how it is.
In front of the goal, in the last third, we were exceptional. We were clinical, we were ruthless, our high press was outstanding, we really won balls in great areas, the formation was top and all these kind of things you want to see as a coach, worked out really great.
The difference is now that you usually don t score with each situation you have pretty much, but that s what we did and why we were 4-0 up at half-time.
Second half, early 5-0 and the red card, game over, so then just control it and try to get home healthy. I am not 100 per cent sure that worked out, well it didn t work out obviously because Millie [James Milner] is injured and Naby as well. We have to see how serious it is, it is very painful, so we will see. We will only know tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
