'I'd go into hiding!' - Roy Keane gives scathing assessment of Man Utd flops after Liverpool thrashing & claims 'I never thought they were back'

• Red Devils humbled at Anfield
• Unwanted history made
• Attitude called into question

WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils suffered a record-breaking reversal at the hands of their fiercest rivals on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s troops slipping to their worst result of the Premier League era. It was United’s joint-heaviest loss of all-time – sitting alongside setbacks from the 1920s and 30s – with Keane admitting that he would not be able to show his face in public if he ever found himself on the receiving end of such a hiding at Anfield.

WHAT THEY SAID: Ex-United captain Keane told Sky Sports of seeing the Red Devils endure the most dramatic of second-half collapses on Merseyside: “If I got beat 6-0 or 7-0, I’d go into hiding. I’d go missing for a few months. It really is that embarrassing. A shocking day. The goal just after half time, it was game over. The senior players were embarrassing, didn’t show any leadership skills. The goals they gave away were shocking. A tough day for United. Thank god I’ve never been part of a team that’s been beaten by that much playing for Man United.

“The players will be embarrassed, ashamed of their performance. When the going got tough they went missing. When you go two goals down like that you’ve got to show some sort of pride, fight, spirit, they didn’t show any of that.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: United had headed to Anfield buoyed by a Carabao Cup triumph and a supposed shot at landing a possible quadruple in 2022-23, but a serious backwards step has now been taken and Keane claims that he never saw the Red Devils as serious contenders for the Premier League title. The Irishman added: “I never thought United were back to their very best. They’ve had some very good results. They’ve been giving teams chances – Leicester at home, West Ham. Teams have let them off the hook. Liverpool didn’t let them off the hook and punished them. That’s where they deserve credit. They were clinical, ruthless. They kept going and wanted more goals. The senior players are the ones that let the club down.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty

DID YOU KNOW? United have lost more Premier League matches against Liverpool than they have versus any other side in the competition’s history (19). Indeed, Man Utd have conceded 21 goals in their last five league games against the Reds.

WHAT NEXT? Bruno Fernandes, who has been filling the captain’s armband, has come in for heavy criticism on the back of his antics against Liverpool, while the likes of Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane endured outings to forget. United will be back in action on Thursday when playing host to Real Betis in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 encounter.