Sunday's game was a tale of two Dutch coaches who are having very different experiences in charge of the two biggest clubs in England

Manchester United fans might have thought they had witnessed their worst-ever results against Liverpool, the 5-0 in 2021 and the 7-0 last season. But if the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has taught us anything, it's that things can always get worse.

Yet again on Sunday, United were blown away by their hated rivals from down the East Lancashire Road, and although the 3-0 scoreline was not as bad as those previous maulings, the performance was on a similar level. Virgil van Dijk said that Liverpool should have scored five or six goals, and it was difficult to disagree.

Liverpool bossed the game, and there was also a bloodbath on the touchline, where the two Dutch managers cut very different figures. Arne Slot was in his element and said the game had gone as well as he could have hoped. He has had less than two months to work with the squad, but Liverpool already look close to the finished article, solid in defence and frighteningly good in attack.

United, however, look dishevelled and out of sync with each other in their third season under Erik ten Hag. To say they are still a work in progress would be being too kind. Instead, it is tempting to recall Ralf Rangnick's assessment in 2022 that the club needed "surgery of the open heart".

Rangnick uttered those brutal words just as Ten Hag had been named as United's next manager, but nearly two-and-a-half years later, they still ring true.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Old Trafford...

WINNER: Liverpool's flying wingers

United once prided themselves on their wing-play, but Liverpool showed them how it's done on Sunday. Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah were electrifying, and the Red Devils had no response to their breakneck speed and trickery.

Diaz had Noussair Mazraoui tied up in knots from the get-go, skipping past him to set up Trent Alexander-Arnold's disallowed goal. He then combined with Salah to eventually break the deadlock, making the most of a peach of a cross.

Diaz again demonstrated his new-found love for scoring with an expert finish for his second goal, which was served up by Salah. The Egyptian could not end the game without scoring against United, though, bagging his 15th goal in 16 games against the arch-enemy - and 10th in his last seven visits to Old Trafford - early in the second half.

Salah and Diaz are working up quite the partnership already, notching a combined six goals and four assists in 2024-25, while all seven of Liverpool's goals this season have had their fingerprints on them.