Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah each scored twice, with substitute Roberto Firmino adding a late seventh, as the Reds registered a club-record win over United.
Six of their goals came in the second half as Klopp’s team ruthlessly picked their arch-rivals apart on a day when their push for Champions League qualification gathered pace in incredible fashion.
Read a transcript of the manager’s post-match press conference below.
On the result and performance…
Freak result, top performance. A really top performance from the start, I thought the way we started the game was really special, the best for a long, long, long, long, long, long time. We were there, we were aggressive but we played football. We were calm in the right moments, super-lively, super-active in other moments [and] after 25 minutes it opened up a bit. United came a bit better into the game but the late goal before half-time was a sensational goal: what Robbo is doing there, cutting inside and is then really calm – what we were actually asking for, that in these moments we have to give ourselves time to get into the right position – and then Cody realised it early enough that Robbo wants to pass the ball there and a super finish. Second half starts, I don’t think the second half could start better with the two goals we forced there pretty much and from that moment on the boys were flying. Then it was really difficult to play against us and how I said, the performance is important, three points is even more important, and the result is just the result.
On whether he believed a performance of this ilk was coming from his team…
Look, I know we can play good football and I know that we can play better football than we showed a couple of times this season, of course. But there was always a reason why we didn’t do it, as you can imagine it’s not that we don’t want it. When you lost the game before you want to be the best version of yourself immediately again. The main difference is we have now pretty much all the players available, which is super-helpful and you could see today and the other night against Wolves as well that obviously having Diogo back is super-important, so that we can give the boys breaks here and there. Now Bobby tonight was obviously the most special moment because of the reception he got, he needed now maybe one or two games to find rhythm. Last line, we have options again which is very helpful. In midfield, we have for the first time this season, for two weeks or so, we have four or five players who are not in the squad, who are training outstanding [but are] not in the squad. That’s the first time we had that, before we had nine or 10 players injured and that is not helpful. When you are on a good run then you can get through this but we started like this into the season and then we got out of it, and now hopefully we are out of the woods there. But we all know nothing happened apart from a really special night tonight. We have to keep going and that is what we will do.
On the satisfaction he takes from seeing a new-look front three perform so strongly together…
It was one of the best performances for a long, long time. In a way I think everybody saw how good the boys can be. I think nobody was in doubt about Darwin’s future impact when he settles because he is a real force of nature, Cody plays in the most difficult area of the pitch against a man-marking side which is super-tricky, but how he keeps himself on his feet there and has the overview of everybody else, Mo is Mo, midfielders around. Harvey played a top game the other night against Wolves, had the highest counter-pressing outcome of any player in the Premier League this season so if that is not a qualification for starting again then I don’t know one, to be honest, and is for us super-important on the ball as well. Hendo didn’t start the last game, what a performance tonight, absolutely incredible, and Fab is back. Last line is in a better moment as well so it’s like it has to be. How I said, we have to make these results count with the result of the next game. That’s what we try.
On what he said to Andy Robertson during a stoppage in play in the second half...
What did I say? I’m pretty sure it was about ‘we have to keep playing’... yes, that was it. When you get a bit more dominant result-wise or whatever and it’s not that settled yet, you don’t use the patterns then anymore because you don't need to. But the patterns we had today were exactly the things which caused United the problems and I didn't see any reason why we should not do that after 4-0. It was not about scoring another three; I didn't tell him, 'Go and score another three.' Not at all, I was absolutely fine with the result - I wanted us to understand even more that the things we had to do tonight were the right things and so you have to keep doing it. Let me say it like this, I loved the impact of Stefan when he came on but he was a six and he was everywhere, so we had to remind him, ‘By the way, you are six!’ We had a moment in the first half when Hendo and Fabinho were half-left in the box, I am not sure where Harvey was there but probably not in protection. These moments we don’t need. That’s when you lose a bit with the excitement, you lose the overview and these kind of things are really important to be stable. That’s what we have to be because we need consistency, we need results and it will not always be like this that we score with all of these situations. There will be other games where we don't score that much and you have to dominate football games, if you can. Today we could and that's why we had to do it.
On Robertson's performance...
Good! Look, that's a top situation. I think everybody saw how good Kostas is in the last game, he had a real impact and set up a super goal. But Robbo is Robbo and he had now 90 minutes' break and I thought he benefited from that today. It was a top performance, like really a flying Scotsman performance!
On what the manner of the result will do for Liverpool's confidence...
I don’t know, does anybody know when we won against Bournemouth 9-0 how the next result was? We won [against Newcastle]? So, that's good - but in the last second, right? It was a completely different game, but a fantastic game. Our goal difference doesn’t look like we won one game 9-0 and one game 7-0, to be 100 per cent honest. How I said, I loved the performance, I loved the three points and the result is good as well but I don't carry that around. We didn't speak yet [about it] but Mo Salah achieved tonight something really, really special - we should not forget that just because we are used to him scoring a lot of goals. Very special, very special player, very special boy and should be really proud of that. We saw what a positive result can do to the boys. We were 7-0 up, somebody played a ball to Luke Shaw, back pass, and we chased him with four players and then you think, 'What are we doing here?' How much adrenaline it gives you and how much positivity it gives you. Now we have five days or so of time to prepare for Bournemouth; they were unlucky yesterday against Arsenal not to get a point at least. We have to make sure we are ready for that fight.
On whether Liverpool can draw confidence from this result ahead of the second leg of the Champions League tie with Real Madrid...
Didn’t think for a second about that. Really not. It is just not important. We have to see who is available for that game. Now we have to make sure we bring the boys all in a top shape to Bournemouth and then we can think about Madrid.