Liverpool, Liverpool, taking the piss, chanted the Kop gleefully. With the points long since secure and Manchester United humiliated for the second time this season, Jurgen Klopps side nonchalantly retained possession.
Title races are supposed to be nervy affairs. This is the time of year when fatigue is usually an issue, squads are feeling the strain and the pressure starts to take a toll.
Not here. Liverpool are growing stronger as the finish line comes into view. They are embracing it. Anfield is awash with hope and euphoria. The booming statements of intent keep on coming.
Publicly, Klopp and his players will continue to play down talk of landing an unprecedented quadruple. However, deep down they know that a season of rich promise has now become a once-in-a-lifetime shot at achieving footballing immortality.
The Carabao Cup is already in the cabinet, an FA Cup final date with Chelsea has been secured and only Villarreal stand between Liverpool and a third Champions League final appearance in the space of five seasons.
In the Premier League, they need a favour from somewhere to beat Manchester City to the big prize but belief abounds. Its Liverpool who have momentum on their side. This Klopp-fuelled juggernaut keeps gathering pace.
Since the turn of the year they have taken 35 points out of a possible 39. They have only failed to win at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad. There are no guarantees. How can there be when they arent masters of their own destiny?
But Klopp couldnt wish to have Liverpool in better shape for the run-in and its hard to believe he will ever work with a squad as strong as this again. I would say the club has 25 Formula One cars, was the verdict of Uniteds interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
Even with Roberto Firmino sidelined by a minor foot problem, there still wasnt room for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino or Harvey Elliott on the bench against United.
Key to the remarkable consistency Liverpool have shown this season has been Klopps knack of rotating and still keeping standards high. He has gambled at the right times and got the contributions he craved from those on the fringes.
It certainly helped that the club brought their summer plans to sign Luis Diaz from Porto forward to January. What a revelation the Colombian attacker has been. Klopp owes a debt of gratitude to Tottenham for trying to sign Diaz and forcing Liverpool to act fast to secure his signature.
No one else has firepower on this scale. The only real concern of late has been Mohamed Salahs barren run. He hadnt scored from open play for two months three penalties his only return from 11 games in all competitions.
Yet the biggest bonus against United was the sight of Salah rediscovering his ruthless streak in the final third. The Egyptian provided the final touch to a slick team move which will be a strong contender for goal of the season. Twenty-five passes, involving every Liverpool player apart from Virgil van Dijk, ended with Salah tucking the ball away after Sadio Mane had swept it expertly into his path.
Salah had created Diazs opener. Diaz laid on the third for Mane before substitute Diogo Jota set up Salah for Liverpools fourth. Some of the incisive interplay between the front three was breathtaking. Salah now has 30 goals for the season the third time he has reached that milestone for the club. Hes the first player in Premier League history to score five goals against United in a single campaign.
If you were picking a front three on form currently Jota would probably miss out despite having 21 goals in all competitions. Thats how crazy the competition for places is.
Liverpool have five elite attackers with Divock Origi and Minamino providing further cover. Its simply unrealistic to think they will have that kind of depth next season. Some will inevitably move on.
Klopp has had injury issues to contend with at various stages but they havent been on anything like the scale that wrecked their challenge for trophies in 2020-21.
Thiagos influence in midfield has grown considerably to the point where he ran the show against United. He completed 105 of his 110 passes (96 per cent). He had 129 touches more than anyone else on the field and made three tackles, two interceptions and a clearance. The standing ovation he received when substituted late on was pure adulation after the crowd had witnessed a master at work.
With Fabinho excelling in the holding role, its currently captain Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita vying for that third midfield spot with Curtis Jones and James Milner among those waiting in the wings. Milner is out of contract this summer. It would also be a surprise if Oxlade-Chamberlain stayed around.
Defensively, this challenge for a clean sweep is built on the firmest of foundations with nine clean sheets in the past dozen Premier League matches. Theres Van Dijk back to his commanding best after a serious knee injury and Joel Matip enjoying an extended resurgence. Ibrahima Konate has scored in his past three appearances but still finds himself playing second fiddle. Joe Gomez has done nothing wrong but is the fourth-choice centre-back.
Full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson still look full of energy, and behind them Alisson keeps on making vital contributions. This time there was a double save from the Brazilian keeper to deny Marcus Rashford and then Anthony Elanga at 2-0.
The sense that the stars have aligned for Liverpool has been strengthened by the luck of the draws. Norwich, Preston, Leicester, Arsenal and Chelsea to lift the Carabao Cup. Shrewsbury, Cardiff, Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City to reach the FA Cup final. Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Having suffered at the hands of United for so much of the Premier League era, how Anfield relished the sight of their arch rivals being put to the sword and made to suffer like this. Imagine the damage that could have been done had Liverpool not eased off for 20 minutes after the break after United changed their shape.
Not even during Liverpools darkest days when United were the dominant force in English football was the gulf in class between the two clubs as evident as this. The 9-0 aggregate score across the two meetings this season represents Uniteds worst since they faced Sunderland twice in 1892-93 (11-0). They have thrown so much money at it but remain so far behind what Klopp has created.
Youre so shit its unbelievable, was the Kops verdict as the away end emptied long before the end.
Salah was fuming with himself for not accepting a late opportunity to seal another hat-trick and inflict another 5-0 demolition. Thats the mentality running through this squad. They are always striving for more.
Another one ticked off for Liverpool. Another Anfield show of force.Another step closer to achieving the impossible. Now they can only sit and watch how City respond.
(Top photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
