Liverpool pummels Manchester United 7-0

The backstory: Premier League football club Manchester United hasn't won against arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield since 2016. Last season, the club lost 4-0 in the same fixture. And United hasn't won the Premier League since 2013. But the team has shown progress this season under its new manager, Erik Ten Hag, whose been at the helm for just under a year.

More recently: Manchester United had a rough start to the season, losing 2-1 to Brighton and next 4-0 to Brentford. But, Ten Hag's strong leadership and tactical acumen helped turn things around. Last week, the club claimed its first trophy since 2017 with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, taking a step towards a top-four finish, which would mean qualifying for the UEFA Champion’s League.

The development: On Sunday, Liverpool decimated the English League Cup champs in a stunning 7-0 victory against Manchester United at Anfield. It's Manchester's worst defeat in over 90 years, which is a tough pill to swallow for their fans. It also beat out Liverpool's previous best record against Manchester – a 7-1 win in 1895.

Liverpool was already looking at a chance at the top four after losses from Newcastle and Tottenham on Saturday – so this victory brings that goal much closer.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah's two goals during the match brought his total to 129, making him Liverpool's all-time leading scorer in the Premier League. It was a phenomenal performance by Liverpool, with six goals scored in the second half.

Key comments:

"It is quite obvious, it was unprofessional," said Erik Ten Hag, manager of Manchester United. "First half, I think we were the better team – we created the better chances and had two one-on-ones with the goalie. Before half-time we made one organizational mistake and conceded a goal. We were in the game. It really surprised me after half-time, we gave the game [away] so quickly."

"It was a fantastic day for everyone," said Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson to Sky Sports. "The performance level from every single player was top quality today, which is something that we've been missing for a while, of course."

"We've had setbacks in the past, and we have to come back again because this is what Manchester United is about," said Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes to Sky Sports. "We can go down, but we have to get back up because we know how good we are.

"It's very special," Liverpool's Mohamed Salah told Sky Sports of his new record. "I can't lie, this record was in my mind since I came here. I think after my first season I was always chasing that record, so to get it today against United with that result is unbelievable."