Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah had frank words about Man United after the 3-0 victory (Image: skysports)
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk both concur that Liverpool could have trounced Manchester United by a wider margin following their dominant performance at Old Trafford.
The Reds sailed to a 3-0 victory on Sunday, with two first-half goals from Luis Diaz and another from Salah after the break. However, both the Egyptian forward and Van Dijk were left craving more as United’s lacklustre display offered Liverpool numerous opportunities to extend their lead.
A fourth goal would have propelled Arne Slot’s team to the top of the Premier League table, matching the opening three-game winning streak of four-time champions Manchester City. When asked by Dutch broadcaster Viaplay if Liverpool could have won 5-0 or 6-0, Van Dijk firmly agreed, stating post-match: “We should have,”.
Salah echoed this sentiment when former United captain Roy Keane questioned him on Sky Sports about whether he was ‘surprised’ by how ‘easy’ the match was. “I agree with you, I was a little surprised. The game could have finished five or six,” Salah confessed.
“The new manager comes with his style and he wants everyone to adapt, he had a few meetings with senior groups saying you need to set an example for the younger players.”
“To be fair I was coming to the game it could be the last time [playing at Old Trafford]. Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, it is up to the club.”
Salah and Van Dijk were pivotal as Liverpool dominated their rivals at Old Trafford (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Despite cruising to what seemed an easy win, gaffer Slot pinpointed areas for growth.
Reflecting on the game’s analysis with Sky Sports, the Liverpool manager commented: “We said they were going to press aggressively, but I showed them three moments where one situation that led to a chance for [Noussair] Mazraoui,” and added, “Luis was not tracking back as he should. Those moments can change the game at Old Trafford. It’s a good win.”
Slot further observed: “The first few minutes, United started aggressive and we had to fight our way through the period. If you go to Old Trafford we know there will be tough moments.
“After scoring a great goal which was disallowed we kept on playing as we were before. A deserved win I think.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1943559/mohamed-salah-virgil-van-dijk-ten-hag-man-united