Liverpool stunned Manchester United by clinching an emphatic 7-0 thrashing at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday evening.
United had only lost once in their previous 22 games, but Roberto Firmino scored the game-winning goal after coming off the bench.
But in the same week that it was said the Brazilian will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and Mohamed Salah all scored twice for the Reds.
Under coach Jurgen Klopp, Salah, Firmino, and Sadio Mane, who has since left the team, helped bring Liverpool back to the top of English and European football.
Even though Liverpool is still in fifth place in the Premier League, the signings of Nunez and Gakpo, which cost a total of £100 million ($121 million), have been called into question.
But they both had the best day of their Liverpool careers by a long shot to show that the doubters were wrong.
“We showed tonight what we could be, what we can be and what we have to be from now on,” said Klopp. “We don’t talk about the scoreline, we just talk about the performance.”
The fact that both players were once linked to United will hurt even more for the Red Devils, who need to get a center-forward this summer if they don’t want to stop making progress under Erik ten Hag.
Gakpo was an easy choice for Ten Hag to go after, since he had already brought in Antony, Lisandro Martinez, and Tyrell Malacia from his home country.
But Liverpool is starting to see the benefits of being the first team to sign the Dutch forward from PSV Eindhoven in January after he did well at the World Cup.
Gakpo scored two incredible goals that beat David de Gea and took the game away from United, one with power and the other with skill.
The 23-year-old doubled his goal total in one afternoon for Liverpool, but he has scored all four of his goals in the last six games.
Liverpool’s slow start to the season was partly due to Nunez’s inconsistent play in front of goal.
But the Uruguayan showed that he is a good header of the ball, which adds a different element to Klopp’s attack. He scored two headers, giving him 13 for the season.
“Nobody doubts Darwin’s impact once he settles,” said Klopp. “He is a real force of nature.”