Going to struggle to get to sleep tonight, as I still can't comprehend what happened.
Seriously, how? The team selection, tactics and individual performances will be argued 'til the cows come how, but I just don't get it. Frailty in modern football teams seems to be increasing - am I imagining it or are big scorelines a more common thing? Sadly, we seem to be on the receiving end more than most.
It just isn't that rare these days to see any side lose the plot on any given day.
Before today's game I think a lot of United fans would have fancied our chances. That isn't to say we were favourites to win at Anfield, far from it, but on current form, we wouldn't have been surprised to had we away with a point, or even three.
After a quick start by Liverpool, we got a hold of the game and were starting to boss proceedings. At around the half hour mark I had a text from a Liverpool supporter saying "United taking control, one goal and we'll crumble." It felt that way and had we taken one of our chances, who knows. But who would of thought it could twist so quickly, and so dramatically?
They scored with their first shot on target. But hey-ho, we've been so strong mentally this season a lot of us still fancied our chances. Comments in this forum echoed that sentiment - ETH will make some adjustments and get us back into this, one goal and their nerves will kick in. They get a second and, sure, it's a long shot, but with the way we've been playing, and with the chances created in the first half, we should still have been able to stage some form of comeback.
How that second half unfolded defies belief. Some will say we should have started AWB, others will say Fred is a liability, Wout shouldn't be starting, and that Bruno is to blame. But to me it seemed literally every single United player imploded. You have to be fully committed in elite sport, drop off just a little and you'll be found out. We were barely functioning at 10% in that second half, let alone 100.
Could also be argued it was a freak result. Liverpool had 8 shots, 7 went in. But from the state of play, it felt like they could have had 15. Every ball falling to their feet wasn't luck, it was down to the fact that their players were moving, while ours was static, in some form of shock, unable to break out of the malaise. Ball pinging around in our box with barely a reaction, over and over again.
As clinical as Liverpool were, and as well as they played in the second half, I bet they also can't believe their luck. They didn't have to work particularly hard for any of the seven goals.
Miserable result that will live long in the memory, but what pains me right now is that I just can't understand it. Every chance we could lose today, but to fall apart in that manner, in a single half of football, beggars belief. It was 1-0 at half time for God's sake.
We gave up, with over half an hour to play. The manager, the players and everyone involved should be ashamed.
Had some torrid results in recent years, but in a weird way, they didn't matter all that much because we were shite, and we knew it. This one hurts because we thought United were back. One helluva reality check.
