Manchester United suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their entire history as Liverpool smashed five past Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, surely making his position as manager close to untenable.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were four up at half-time, and could easily have doubled that scoreline after scoring an early goal in the second half when Mo Salah completed a hat-trick and then Paul Pogba was dismissed after a shameful cameo – but the embarrassment was almost compounded by the visitors taking it easy for the final half hour, a mercy mission that saw them pass the ball around with no fear of losing it.

United were beaten so profoundly, with all of their problems exposed so painfully, that it is difficult to see any way Solskjaer continues in his position, though he continued to stress after the match that he would not give in.

Which is more than could be said for his team’s pitiful display, although quite what the manager was hoping to achieve by picking the same eleven that started so horrendously against Atalanta on Wednesday was difficult to see.

But it feels as though a point has been reached where it is unfair to blame players who simply aren’t up to it – Victor Lindelof’s shakiness again causing panic through the back line, the full-backs’ tendency to get drawn into impulsive mistakes often does the same, and the preposterous continuation of playing from the back from goal-kicks emphasises a team exploiting its own weaknesses to the glee of any opposition team.

Liverpool made hay of these inadequacies time and time again, scoring twice inside of 13 minutes and, really, it should have been more.

United had their own chances and even with the suicidal defending and non-existent midfield screen, created chances when bypassing the midfield – Greenwood, Ronaldo and Rashford all having efforts. But these were hardly efforts to trouble the visitors and before the break Salah scored twice to flip the script – it was not about a second half turnaround, but more about the size of the embarrassment on the table.

Salah completed his treble early in the second half – Pogba had been brought on for Greenwood, as Solskjaer tried a classic closing the barn door after the horse has bolted approach.

But Pogba was sent off for a poor challenge on Naby Keita, and could have few complaints; he was applauded off the pitch, but it’s difficult to see how he has any future at the club.

And the same will be said for the manager, who then took to the sideline for the last thirty minutes as Liverpool took pity.

Not that it helped anyone in the club, as it was almost worse seeing this of all teams play the ball around like it was their pitch, and Solskjaer looked suitably bereft, as he understood the scale and enormity of what was unfolding before his eyes. It appeared as though he was soaking in what was sure to be the final act.

A more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of just what happened and why will take place over the next few days – the autopsy, if you like, will be played out and conducted by many in the press and in the support.

But there has always been the feeling that there was a delicate balance between ruthlessness and United’s next step after the progress they have undoubtedly made under this manager.

And it always felt like the balance would be precariously hovering over the faith he invested in players he inherited who are simply not going to be in a position to take United where they want to be. So it proved, but the manager is now culpable for that faith and decision to play a system where three areas of the team seem ill-suited to the one next to it.

The system was wrong, and the players executing the system committed the same level of hari-kari on a remarkable frequency, failing to sense danger within their collective or as individuals. When it finally looked like it was settled, it was down to the pity offered by Klopp and a change in shape forced by going down to ten men.

In the stands, well, the mood changed frequently – first, the defiant support. Second, the frustration, followed by resounding boos at half-time. In the second half, there was a resignation – if Wednesday’s game was reminiscent of the 3-2 win over Newcastle in Mourinho’s last months, then this David Moyes against Liverpool at Old Trafford with bells on – it was that, the City humiliation the following week, and the City 6-1 in 2011 all rolled in to one, with no late capitulation to blame. In terms of individual results, all things considered, it’s a strong contender to be the worst in the club’s history.

This was always the danger from the start when hiring a manager with little prior experience – there is little doubt that Solskjaer has surpassed initial expectations, but a coach in this sort of role requires experience to be able to navigate tough times like this, and instead, performances are getting much worse. There is the danger of the mood becoming very difficult.

And although the state of the club is probably the healthiest it has been since Sir Alex retired, there can be no question that this stands out as the worst result and performance. Luke Shaw had the staggering confidence – or lack of self-awareness – to say this had ‘been coming’.

If he has a point, then the performances are the barometer, and most observers have been able to deduce that the system preferred by the manager wasn’t even treading water anymore – but the manager instead persisted when he needed to be ruthless.

A pragmatic selection that did not even offer an ounce of resistance for a single minute, after never suggesting at any point over the last year that they were improving, rather, just surviving until the moment they were replaced by a better alternative. There are no words harsh enough for a performance like this because losing by five goals at home to Liverpool is pitiful and incomprehensible.

If Solskjaer does somehow get a stay of execution (presumably the faint hope would be not wanting to hand a new manager such a tough start) then surely the only hope he has is to show that he is ready to put an end to this system and, unfortunately, some player’s careers at the club.

Those concerned about the malaise under the Glazers will continue to have a point. They always give just enough transfer backing to make it look as though the manager is supported, and just less than what is required in order to actually make the club seriously competitive, with the difference often seen in the amount of money drained from the club in personal dividends.

It’s hard to say one defensive midfielder was all that’s required to make them contenders when you look at a game like today and realise that United need two to replace the two they have, and at least one more to ensure that there is no reliance on the ones who played today. The same goes for Lindelof, and just as concerning, the full-backs too – with Solskjaer’s pursuit of Trippier a case in point.

Yet it’s difficult to ignore, because there is a prevailing frustration about seeing progress and then what we saw in the last weeks of the window – the failure to get Trippier, or a midfielder, or another player in, but then the signing of Ronaldo (a player who would bring in more money for the owners) and then subsequent examples of the Glazer family cashing in shares to make tens of millions of pounds increased that uneasy feeling that little has changed, despite their insistence that they would co-operate better with supporters.

But the issue is now about something deeper and closer to home – if Solskjaer is doing the best with what he has. The answer was yes in the summer because he finished second, but in order to that have some serious foundation, it would have to look like a fair second and not an achievement based on Chelsea’s poor start to the previous season, or Liverpool’s injury problems.

Even within that scope, there would have been some acceptance from more patient supporters if they were competitive for a Champions League place, but it has been far from good enough over the last few weeks, and it was enough to move from a concern, to a crisis, to now surely untenable. Yes, some of the players are not good enough, but the manager has to inspire faith that things are moving in the right direction at first team level at the same time as improving the infrastructure, and Solskjaer’s demeanour on the sideline and his words afterwards suggest that he understands the reality of this situation.

Even for all the good he has done – and it’s worth remembering that if it ends right now, he will leave a much healthier position than the one he inherited – there are losses, there are ways to lose, and there are statement results, and a manager in his position before the game could not and can not afford to lose 5-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Ratings

De Gea 5

Wan Bissaka 2

Lindelof 1

Maguire 1

Shaw 1

Fred 1

McTominay 1

Greenwood 5

Fernandes 4

Rashford 5

Ronaldo 4

Subs

Pogba 1

Dalot 4

Cavani 5