Cristiano Ronaldo says Manchester United’s supporters deserve much better than the dismal display they received against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ronaldo and co were thrashed 5-0 by their bitter rivals with Mo Salah scoring a hat-trick at the home of Liverpool’s fiercest rivals, while Naby Keita and Diogo Jota also struck in the first-half.
After half-time, Ronaldo did put the ball in the net but his strike was chalked off for offside. Paul Pogba was also sent off for a high and dangerous tackle on Keita, which saw Anthony Taylor produce a red card after consulting the VAR pitchside monitor.
Taking to Instagram after the game, he said: ‘Sometimes the result is not the one we fight for. Sometimes the score is not the one we want.
‘And this is on us, only on us, because there’s no one else to blame. Our fans were, once again, amazing in their constant support.
‘They deserve better than this, much better, and it’s up to us to deliver. The time is now!’
Jurgen Klopp also initially thought Cristiano Ronaldo’s challenge on Curtis Jones at the end of the first half warranted a red card but had been persuaded otherwise by people who had seen television replays.
The United forward sent the midfielder tumbling to the floor with a wild swing of his right leg and then, with his frustration boiling over, he took a couple of swings at the ball which was positioned against his grounded opponent’s midriff.
‘I saw it, of course, and it looked like a red card but I got told he hits the ball or didn’t hear the whistle,’ Klopp said.
‘I don’t want Cristiano getting a red card. For me it looked like (a red) but I got told it was not and that’s fine.’
Liverpool dominated from the first minute, taking an early two-goal lead through Naby Keita and Diogo Jota.
Salah then bagged a brace before the break before completing his treble minutes into the second half.