A Manchester United team, manager include, full of unbridled optimism and new expectations, were dragged though the fiery coals and humiliated 7-0 by a suddenly resurgent Liverpool on Sunday, leaving the Old Trafford outfit to leave with their tails between their legs after their spineless second-half performance.
And 7 days made an entire world of difference to the Red Devils.
Exactly seven days after Erik ten Hag had forgotten to pick up the Carabao Cup at the end of his press conference at Wembley, the Dutchman had to resort to denouncing his players in public for failing to “fulfil their jobs” in the immediate aftermath of United’s heaviest defeat in almost a century, after a similar debacle losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers by the same 7-0 margin in 1931.
This 7-0 battering by a team having spiralled downwards from its usual lofty heights the last few seasons has come as an inexcusable humiliation and is a new low in the club’s history. One that is most unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.
It is of course not difficult to share the optimistic sentiments of a United side after having been hammered 4-0 on their last visit to Anfield 11 months ago. They came this visit United to portray a new image to their Merseyside rivals as a totally different beast, boosted by their recent victories and conquest of the Carabao Cup.
Resurrection and revenge were the themes boldly emblazoned in the skies under an equally buoyant Ten Hag this season as this visit also meant that their supporters in the away end were likely to see their team score at Anfield for the first time since Jesse Lingard found the back of the net in Jose Mourinho’s final game in charge in December 2018, ‘likely’ being the operative word.
Instead, the remnant of fans that finally decided to stay until the end saw United ship seven goals in a game for the first time in the Premier League era. Definitely a most grim reminder that, despite the ebullient title chatter that has bludgeoned its way in over recent weeks, the Reds now clearly remain a work in progress at best and are realistically a long distance away from being the genuine title contenders they or their new gaffer would like to consider themselves to be at this stage.
It was more a case of their obliteration instead of their capitulation in the second half that was a disgrace, as capitulation would infer that their rivals had no merit in the victory. On the contrary, Liverpool showed they clearly still have what it takes to rise up to the occasion as they indeed do possess the DNA to rise up and fight when the going gets tough.
On their own volition, the Red Devils indeed capitulated in the second half and was indeed a disgrace, with not even one of the 11 players on the pitch having the integrity and kohonas to step forward and take responsibility. Ironically, not even their new gaffer, for all his discipline and gungho no nonsense sense of responsibility, bothered enough to step forward as the boss in charge and at least offer to shoulder part of the responsibility. Instead, the Dutchman instantly pointed an accusing finger at his charges and shifted the blame to them and washed his hands of the matter.
Unsurprisingly Bruno Fernandes was also behaving in a disgraceful manner as he was clearly not displaying in exemplary demeanor and behavior the standards expected of a skipper with propriety and honor. And this despite the fact that many have described the Portuguese as a natural to claim the captaincy on a permanent basis from next season, yet he did not display the leadership credentials of a player captaining United but was instead its brat.
“I must start with Bruno Fernandes because I’ve had enough of him throwing his arms around at his teammates,” Gary Neville said in his post-match analysis. “I’ve had enough of him not running back. He whinges at everybody.
“Going down – he got pushed down in his chest and goes down holding his face. He’s got to put in a captain’s performance out there, that wasn’t a captain’s performance by a Manchester United player.”
This most recent humiliation aside, most United fans, wrathful as have every right to be, would surely be mindful of just how much progress has been made this season, even though this most recent debacle would not have given that impression at all.
Yes, a 7-0 stuffing at the hands of your biggest rivals is not something that should easily be excused but it is surely worth remembering just how far the Reds have come in a relatively short space of time under Ten Hag. The football in the second half was undeniably catastrophic and utterly shameful for United, one is compelled to accept that truth. Yet we still cannot undo all of the good work that has been done before that.
Ten Hag has reintroduced standards – even though they were evidently absent in the second half at Anfield – that had been missing for several years before he stepped in. He has at least given United some measure of success and ended their trophy drought.
All it means realistically is that Manchester United have to acquire a lot more discipline to fully reshape themselves before they can truly be considered true title contenders with the right mettle and caliber needed.
After all, losing to Liverpool, or indeed anyone else, by seven goals does reveal a lot. At best, the Old Trafford side is at best a work in progress for the present.
Regardless of what a certain finger-pointing gaffer might like to think.