Liverpool player ratings: two 10/10s and three 9/10s in stunning 7-0 win against Man Utd - gallery

Liverpool sent an emphatic message in their pursuit of a Premier League top-four finish as they annihilated Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds blitzed their way to a 7-0 victory against their fierce rivals to move up to fifth in the table. Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah all fired doubles while substitute Roberto Firmino netted late on as Jurgen Klopp’s side are now just three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur - with a game in hand.

The first half, as expected, proved somewhat of a cagey affair for the most part. Liverpool’s Alisson Becker was the busier of the two goalkeepers as he repelled efforts from Antony and Marcus Rashford.

With two minutes until the interval, the home side broke the deadlock with a fine goal. Andy Robertson threaded a pass into the path of Gakpo, who cut inside and kept his composure to bend an effort into the far corner.

And at breakneck speed, Liverpool put the game to rest with two goals in just four second-half minutes. The Reds were persistent in the middle of the park as the ball scrambled around before Harvey Elliott’s wicked cross picked out Nunez to head home within two minutes of the restart.

Then two minutes later, a sweeping counter-attack saw Salah slot in Gakpo, who again kept his cool to deftly finish beyond United keeper David De Gea.

It would get even better for Liverpool on 66 minutes when the ball fell kindly for Salah to unleash a fizzling right-footed half-volley that crashed against the underside of the bar and into the back of the net.

The Reds were not allowing their bitter foes off the hook and poured more ignominy on United. Nunez glanced home a header in the 75th minute for his second before Salah was at the double when he fired home from close range with seven minutes remaining.

Then Liverpool would be in seventh heaven with a cute finish from Firmino on 88 minutes.

Here’s how we rated the Liverpool players.