Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has apologised to the club's supporters for their "disastrous" 7-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
In what was a closely-contested first half, Cody Gakpo handed Liverpool the lead just before half-time when he displayed composure beyond his 23 years of age to coolly dispatch Andy Robertson's excellent through-ball.
The former PSV Eindhoven captain doubled the lead two minutes after the break when he delicately lifted the ball over a helpless De Gea at his near post, before Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah bagged braces of their own to make it six. Substitute Roberto Firmino made it seven on 88 minutes as he crowned his first Anfield appearance since informing manager Jurgen Klopp of his decision to move onto pastures new at the end of the season with a memorable strike.
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For Erik Ten Hag's side, Sunday's thrashing was a timely dose of reality as Liverpool inflicted a heaviest-ever Premier League defeat on their old foes just seven days after they lifted the League Cup at Wembley.
For De Gea, too, it was a stark reminder of the Reds' attacking qualities as he conceded seven goals in a game for the first time in his Premier League career and took his tally against Klopp's side to 16 in just the last four meetings between the two sides.
Taking to social media in the aftermath of the rout, the Spaniard labelled the result as "disastrous" and called on United supporters to stick by the players.
"I know these messages don't sit well on such a day," wrote De Gea. "This was a disastrous moment for us and these results shouldn't happen, especially with the journey we are all on.
"We have a duty to this club, a responsibility to represent the badge but we have many opportunities to look ahead, many games coming fast and we have to lock our focus on these."
De Gea wasn't the only member of Ten Hag's side left furious with the result as defender Raphael Varane fiercely demanded his team-mates showed gratitude to their supporters and went over to the handful of United fans who remained in the Anfield Road end once Andrew Madley had blown his full-time whistle and ended their humiliating afternoon on Merseyside.
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