Jamie Carragher: 'Manchester United defence is a joke and a mess'

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has described Manchester United's defence as a "joke" and a "mess" following their 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Merseysiders this afternoon.

Liverpool recorded their biggest ever away win over their great rivals at Old Trafford, with Naby Keita and Diogo Jota putting them into a early two-goal lead before Mohamed Salah netted a hat-trick to complete the rout.

The Reds scored their fifth goal five minutes into the second half and had a numerical advantage for the final 30 minutes after Paul Pogba's red card, but failed to add to their lead, and Carragher believes that they missed an opportunity to pile further misery on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

"I'm not trying to be clever here, I don't think Liverpool were actually at their absolute best in terms of actual possession. But whenever they made passes and got in and around United's back four... that's just a joke of a back four at the moment. It was just a mess," Carragher told Sky Sports News.

"It'll never get better than that. If there was one slight disappointment it's that there was half an hour to go against United with 10 men - you'll never get that opportunity again.

"Manchester United and Liverpool are the biggest rivals, maybe in world football - two huge clubs, huge rivalry and huge respect even for what they've achieved, but you're not going to get that opportunity too often."

The result leaves Liverpool second in the Premier League table, still just one point behind leaders Chelsea, whereas Man United sit seventh.