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Manchester United got decimated 7-0 by Liverpool but it was more about what they got wrong than what their opponents did right.
Manchester United were on the wrong side of a truly embarrassing result on Sunday as Premier League rivals Liverpool hit them for seven.
The 7-0 annihilation at Anfield is the joint-biggest defeat in Manchester United's history and their worst since 1931 thanks to braces from Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez as well as a late Roberto Firmino goal.
The result shows United are still a long way from the highest level despite their recent good form and here are seven lessons (one for each goal) for manager Erik Ten Hag to take away from the worst defeat of his career so far.
1. Manchester United needs a new goalkeeper
David de Gea's current contract at Manchester United is set to expire this summer at the end of this current season and it is in the best interests of everyone involved to let his 12-year association with the club end with it.
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Talks of a new contract for the Spaniard have been making the rounds but the club is better off putting that energy into searching for a new goalkeeper
The 32-year-old faced eight shots on target at Anfield on Sunday and conceded seven goals, managing just a save in what was a game to forget.
In all fairness to him, only the seventh goal could be directly called his fault and even that was not a goalkeeping error, just that he could have done better.
What this game does show is that De Gea no longer has the air of invincibility which surrounded him in his prime years no longer exists.
De Gea only completed 50% of his passes, 11/22 specifically and only five of his 16 long balls were accurate, a great departure from the modern goalkeeper Ten Hag needs to implement his ideologies.
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2. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is better than Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot was Ten Hag's undisputed starting right fullback with Wan-Bissaka not even getting a peep in the first half of the season.
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But the Portuguese international has been out of form post-World Cup which coincides with Wan-Bissaka playing well when he has been given the chance, all the more reason he should have played against Liverpool.
Dalot lost possession 18 times and had huge lapses of concentration which led to the first goal and was complicit in a few others as well. It is hard to imagine how Wan-Bissaka could have performed worse.
3. Varane/Martinez partnership is not infallible
Ten Hag's preferred central defensive partnership is the pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane but their record in big games leaves a lot to be desired.
Manchester United have only lost three games with this centre-back pairing but those games show a pattern of lethargic defending and conceding in high volume.
The first of those defeats was a 6-3 thumping away at Manchester City, followed by a 3-2 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and now the 7-0 demolition at Anfield on Sunday.
4. Bruno Fernandes is not a winger
Ten Hag has been deploying a strange shape with Bruno Fernandes in wide areas and Rashford playing centrally which has been working so far until the humbling against Liverpool.
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The captain played on the left side of United's attack and was largely ineffective probably because he is more naturally an attacking midfielder used to operating behind the striker.
The Portuguese star lost possession 14 times and when he did keep the ball, he failed to do anything of note with it, failing to complete a single one of his cross attempts.
5. Antony was a waste of money
Ten Hag handpicked Brazilian winger Antony as his priority target having both enjoyed a successful period together at Ajax the year before.
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The club shelled out £85 million for his services but the player has since not shown any ability to justify being the 5th most expensive player in Premier League history.
The 23-year-old has so far scored five goals in 24 games across all competitions and his latest uninspiring performance against Liverpool reemphasises that point.
From his largely ineffective dribbling to being bad in transition, Antony's disappointing display in the 7-0 defeat shows that Ten Hag made a mistake with the Brazilian and he should take credit for this flop.
6. Rashford needs help
Marcus Rashford is having the season of his life with 25 goals in 40 games across all competitions so far, making him one of the deadliest players on the planet.
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And while his form has been pivotal to Manchester United's superb form this season, it has also masked the lack of productivity in the whole squad.
No other player in the Manchester United squad has even scored double figures across all competitions, Bruno Fernandes is the second-highest scorer in the squad with seven goals.
Clearly, Man United needs another goal threat, especially on days when Rashford is not up for it like the Liverpool game, someone else needs to be able to score consistently which is something for Ten Hag to ponder upon this summer.
7. Weghorst is not good enough
Much like Antony, Ten Hag specifically requested for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst and he got his wish but the player has turned out to be quite underwhelming.
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Unlike Antony though, Weghorst is only at Old Trafford on loan and can be discarded as he has not shown the requisite ability to play for a club this size.
The 30-year-old Dutch striker cannot be faulted for endeavour and effort but there is a reason his last two clubs are Burnley and Besiktas, he just cannot cut it at this level.
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