Liverpool‘s sensational drubbing of Manchester United at Anfield surprised just about everybody, although one man, in particular, saw it all coming from a mile away.
The two teams came into the game in contrasting states.
Erik Ten Hag’s side were fresh off their Carabao Cup triumph, they also defeated La Liga leaders Barcelona at home as part of a winning run which started near the end of January.
Liverpool’s form, on the other hand, is best described as shaky.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have struggled in recent months, owing to a severe drop-off in energy and various key injuries, which effectively turned them into the second favourites for the game against United.
And while many were busy writing the Reds off before the game, it was Liverpool legend Graeme Souness who stuck by his side and gave them his vote of confidence.
During the pre-match coverage of the game on Sky Sports, the 69-year-old puffed his chest out and said, ‘I fully expect them to turn up today, and it’s a long time since I’ve been confident about a Liverpool win against United as I am today. I just think they’ll turn up and be bang on it today.’
Souness’s brazen declaration caught the rest of the pundit’s panel off-guard.
While his fellow Red in Jamie Carragher could only smile in response, the United duo of Gary Neville and Roy Keane made sure to express exactly what they thought about the 69-year-old’s confidence.
The former smirked at Souness mockingly, while Keane narrowed his gaze and made it painfully obvious that he was holding in a fit of laughter.
The duo looked as smug as can be, which indicated how much they believed in United’s chances of grabbing the victory.
Unfortunately for them, the confidence turned into hubris after full-time, as the visitors were battered by Liverpool, with the final score-line being 7-0.
While all the attention goes instantly towards the astounding score, a bigger cause of concern for United are the needless mistakes they were forced into. On numerous occasions, the Red Devils were caught in possession by Liverpool, with 2 of these errors even leading to goals.
Neville and Keane made sure to criticize this aspect of United’s performance, but not before the duo themselves were lambasted for their pre-match smugness.
The internet never forgets, and fans online made sure to remind the United legends of their naive attitude prior to kickoff.
Images of their frivolous expressions were circulated far and wide after United held 7, and the picture was officially said to have aged horribly.
The post-match taunting wasn’t just confined to fans online, as Jamie Carragher himself joined in on the proceedings to roast his mate Gary Neville.
We reckon that the United duo simply cannot wait for their side to win back some bragging rights against Liverpool, and when that happens, expect to see Keane and Neville return the favour.