Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes responsibility for Liverpool loss

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took responsibility for Manchester United’s appalling 5-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday but insisted he remains the right man to take the club forward.

The Red Devils were second best in every department as their bitter rivals ran riot at Old Trafford, with Mohamed Salah netting a hat trick while Naby Keita and Diogo Jota also scored.

Solskjaer has struggled to convince the football world he is truly equipped to take United back to the top of English football, with this latest humiliation showing how far tactically he is behind the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

The Norwegian told Sky Sports: “It is not easy to say something apart from it is the darkest day I have had leading these players. We were not good enough individually and as a team, can’t give a team like Liverpool those chances but unfortunately we did.

“The whole performance was not good enough. We created openings, they had chances and they have been clinical. The third goal decided the game.

“It is mine [responsibility], that is it. The coaching staff are very, very good, brilliant. I choose the way we approach the game, we were not clinical enough and gave too much space and when you give good players space they score.

“We are at home, playing against Liverpool, we have gone here over the last two and half years and had a similar approach to high press but today they scored on their chances. I think as Manchester United we should always try to stamp our authority on the game.

“That fourth goal is when you go into half time with having to score one every 15 minutes. I know these boys are capable of it. The fourth, that was probably game over.

“You can look at last season we lost to Spurs 6-1, this is worse, miles worse. This is miles worse for me as a Manchester lad. I’ve just got to say we have to get over this as quickly as we can.”

When asked whether he remains the right person for the United job, he added: “I have come too far, we have come too far as a group. We are too close to give up now. It is going to be a difficult one. The players will be low but there’s loads of characters there. We know we are rock bottom, we can’t feel any worse than this. Let’s see where we take it.”

United are seventh in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Chelsea despite their impressive recruitment during the summer transfer window.