Manchester United players were extremely confident going into their weekend matchup with Liverpool. They had just come from behind to defeat Barcelona in the Europa League round of 32 before defeating Newcastle to win the Carabao Cup.
A win over West Ham in the FA Cup only further boosted confidence for the third-place team that was already one of the most in-form sides in the Premier League under manager Erik Ten Hag.
According to the Daily Mail, confidence was so high that the players were even discussing the prospect of pipping current league leaders Arsenal and second-placed Manchester City to the Premier League title on WhatsApp.
“Ten Hag has been quick to silence any talk of quadruples, but there was a growing feeling among the players that the Premier League title was a genuine target,” The Daily Mail reported. “In the players’ WhatsApp group, they had spoken about the prospect of catching the top two.”
Of course, Manchester United went on to suffer a 7-0 defeat at the hands of their rivals to not only destroy their goal difference and leave them 14 points behind Arsenal (albeit with a game in hand), but also put a huge dent in their confidence. It was also their worst defeat since 1931.
Talk of winning a first Premier League title since 2013 will be put on hold indefinitely as United will look to bounce back in their round of 16 Europa League tie against Real Betis on Thursday before a home tie against Southampton on Sunday.
It will certainly be interesting to see how they respond to such a massive setback.
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