The contrast in emotions in one week has been drastic for Manchester United.

From winning their first trophy in over five years to a humiliating 7-0 defeat at Anfield, Ten Hag needs to galvanise his squad and produce a response after a disastrous afternoon for the club.

In between those two results, United beat West Ham 3-1 in the FA Cup, coming from a goal behind to move one step closer to a return to Wembley – should they beat Fulham in the Quarter Final.

The first half was poor but after some substitutions, United looked to be in control. Said Benrahma’s opener was cancelled out by an own goal before Alejandro Garnacho scored late on to take the lead, with Fred adding a third to seal the win.

Then came the trip to Anfield and despite a solid first-half performance Liverpool led at halftime following some questionable defending from United. But this was only the start of the onslaught as the home side then scored six in the second half, as United fell apart in spectacular fashion.

I’ll be honest I really didn’t want to write about this result, hoping it was all a bad fever dream that would eventually end, but of course, it was a bitter taste of reality. And even after listening to Radiohead’s discography like a heartbroken teenager and shutting myself off from social media, there has been no escape from the torment of defeat.

Apart from the score line, the worst thing about the performance was the unprofessionalism shown by senior players. At 3-0 down and with the game gone, they should have shut up shop and focused on damage limitation but instead kept attacking and offering Liverpool space to exploit.

Then there was the body language of players such as Bruno Fernandes who let himself down as the captain. Not to solely dig him out because he wasn’t the only one but as captain, he should be setting an example for the younger players of the team.

Although United has been on the rise in recent months, there’s no understating just how bad the performance was on Sunday. A defensive catastrophe that hasn’t been seen since the early stages of the season, with players losing all composure and resulting in a collective mess.

There were no positives to take away from the game and whilst a hectic schedule may have played some role in the defeat there is no excuse for the way in which United lost. Continuing the club's horrific form away to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

A loss would always be tough to take, especially against your biggest rivals, but to do so in the manner that United did was bewildering. Where did this come from and how do they respond to this?

That’s something for Ten Hag and his team to answer as they collect themselves from the hangover of humiliation. But with another match against Real Betis looming, they have no time to start feeling sorry for themselves.

The team has responded to humiliating losses already this season, coming back from 4-0 and 6-3 defeats to Brentford and Manchester City to win their following fixtures. However, it’s something they can’t keep affording to do should they want to keep the sanity of the fan base intact. United losing in remarkable style has become more common in recent years but this cuts deep, hopefully, they can learn from this tough lesson and put things behind them fast.

Next up United take on Real Betis in the Europa League and Southampton back in the league, both of which are at home. It won’t make amends for the loss at Anfield, but two wins will help to build confidence after what was a terrible day for Manchester United.

🏃 Tour of Tameside 2023 🏃

We're proud to be delivering this year's four-day running festival, which takes place from 15 to 18 June. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

Want more local sport stories?

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.