Manchester United have the chance to get back on the horse on Thursday night when they host Real Betis at Old Trafford in the Europa League round of 16. While a few days have pased since Sunday, when they were hammered 7-0 by Liverpool in the Premier League, it remains a result that will take a long time to get over.
Having lifted the Carabao Cup just seven days earlier, no one could have foreseen such a humbling. Erik ten Hag’s men were woeful, and could easily have lost by more to their bitter rivals.
Their loss to Liverpool is not the first time one of the big six have been given a thrashing in the top flight. There have been quite a few over the years, and here is how the teams of the past have responded after their own hammerings.
Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool - 2021-22
Sorry Manchester United fans, this won’t be the last time you appear in this list. The Red Devils have been comfortably beaten by the Reds in the past, conceding five to Jurgen Klopp’s side at Old Trafford last season. Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was able to generate an instant response from his players as they recorded a 3-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on their next outing. Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford were on the scoresheet that afternoon.
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Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur - 2020-21
It hasn’t been the best of periods for United when it comes to suffering heavy losses and this one against Spurs was just as bad, the only saving grace was that it was behind closed doors so the fans didn’t have to watch this disaster unfold live. However, just like he did the following year, Solskjaer and his team delivered an instant response by going on to beat Newcastle United 4-1 at St James’ Park. Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Rashford were the scorers as United gave a spirited performance in the north east to put the Spurs loss behind them.
Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool - 2020-21
This ridiculous game of football came on the same day as Spurs’ thrashing of United, but this one was by far the most surprising. The then-reigning champions Liverpool were well beaten by a team who had just about stayed up in the Premier League the previous campaign. Dean Smith’s side tore apart Klopp’s Premier League winners with ease in a thrashing that nobody could have predicted. The Reds were unable to bounce back in style too, as they were held to a 2-2 draw with local rivals Everton at Goodison Park the following week.
Manchester City 6-0 Chelsea - 2018-19
It has never been uncommon for Pep Guardiola’s rampant Manchester City side to score profusely in the Premier League, no matter the opponent. Chelsea were one of the big dogs to suffer at the Spaniard’s hands. Maurizio Sarri’s men were schooled at the Etihad Stadium as Sergio Aguero netted a hat-trick. The Blues were able to pick themselves up from this humbling with a victory against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on their next outing. Chelsea beat Spurs 2-0 thanks to a goal from Pedro and an own goal from Kieran Trippier.
Manchester City 5-0 Liverpool - 2017-18
Guardiola’s superstars handed Klopp a huge lesson back in September 2017 when they fired five past the 10-man Reds at the Etihad. Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane both netted twice, with Aguero scoring the other as Sadio Mane was sent off for a dangerous high kick on Ederson. Similarly to their response after being thrashed by Villa, Liverpool could only achieve a point in their next Premier League fixture which was a 1-1 draw against Burnley at Anfield.
Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City - 2011-12
This game is often identified as the sign of the power shift in Manchester as City hammered their local rivals at Old Trafford en route to claiming their first Premier League title under Roberto Mancini. Alex Ferguson and co were shell-shocked by what had unfolded on their home turf and knew they had to make amends in their next match. United travelled to Goodison Park to face Everton the following weekend and they managed to scrape their way to victory as Javier Hernandez handed them a 1-0 win to get them back on track.
Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal - 2011-12
United had completed a thrashing of their own earlier in that same season. Against long-time rivals Arsenal, the Red Devils bulldozed their way to an 8-2 success at Old Trafford. Given the history between the two clubs in the Premier League, this one really stung Arsenal fans who were livid with their team’s performance. Arsene Wenger knew that he had to get a victory in the next game to get fans back on side, and they just about got the much-needed three points against Swansea City at the Emirates Stadium the week after. Andrey Arshavin’s first-half strike was enough to give the Gunners the victory, but they were then beaten 4-3 by Blackburn Rovers in the match that followed.
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