Man Utd vs Liverpool: After 5-0 humiliation, Solskjaer is a Gunnar

Nobody saw that coming.

Yes, Manchester United has been pretty bad all season. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stumbled on results that kept him in the job for much longer.

Just last Wednesday, the Red Devils came from two goals down to defeat Atalanta 3-2.

So Solskjaer named the same starting XI for the second game running. And when they went two goals down against Liverpool on Sunday in the first half, there was not really in panic.

But this is Liverpool. Yes, the same Liverpool team with a red-hot Mohamed Salah.

And within 12 between either side of the two halves, he scored three times to take the tie beyond United.

By the time Paul Pogba was sent off after barely 20 minutes on the pitch, the game had long been won and lost. In fact, Jurgen Klopp’s men chose to have mercy on their hosts, passing the ball around without purpose or urgency in the closing minutes.

Full-time score: Manchester United 5 Liverpool 0.

Will Solskjaer still be at the job by the time the team travels to Tottenham Hotspur next weekend? That is the question everyone is asking.

The 46-year-old has however made it clear he will not make it easy for the club’s hierarchy by resigning.

“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 are 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,” he said after the Liverpool match.

So, over to you, Manchester United’s board.

The hierarchy has insisted that Solskjaer is their man for the long term. But how much more can they maintain that stance?

Before the game was an hour old, fans were seen walking out of the stadium, heading to the train stations, tired of the disaster that was unfolding before their eyes.

A good number of supporters still applaud Solskjaer politely, but very soon, the atmosphere at Old Trafford will turn toxic and the boos we heard at half time on Sunday, will evolve into a full-blown protest.

How long more? After Spurs, it is the Manchester Derby.

Many observers feel Solskjaer will not be sacked, except united fail to make top four. That is a huge possibility this season. But the owners do not need to wait until May to pull the trigger.

Solskjaer is way out of his depth. It is time to put him out of his misery.