Liverpool have disgusted Alex Ferguson, embarrassed Erik ten Hag and humiliated Manchester United

The present side may not be the best Manchester United team ever. That, though, doesn't make Liverpool winning at the home of the bitter North West rivals any less sweet for players or supporters.

Having been unable to turn domination into victories on two visits to Old Trafford last season, on Sunday the Reds destroyed Erik ten Hag's side with Luis Diaz scoring twice in the first half before Mohamed Salah added his customary goal in the fixture after the interval. There could have been more.

But with an increasing number of memorable victories against United now being achieved, which has been the best of recent times? The ECHO writers take their pick of some impressive displays.

Ian Doyle: No matter how far Liverpool fell behind Manchester United during their fallow years in the first 20 years of the Premier League, rarely did they suffer complete humiliation. And certainly not on their own turf.

The Reds, though, have made a habit in recent years of handing out a proper beating to the second-most successful team in England football history. One, though, stands out, although not for immediately obvious reasons.

The 4-0 win over United at Anfield in April 2022 was notable because it came only just three days after Manchester City had been beaten in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

From the first whistle to last, United were comprehensively outplayed with a verve and vigour of a Liverpool side who were still chasing down an unprecedented quadruple.

And key to their win, in one of the great individual performances, was Thiago Alcantara, whose display was such that it had United legend Paul Scholes purring away in the press box sat next to the ECHO. Rarely have United been so utterly outclassed.

Paul Gorst: A Mo Salah hat-trick, a Paul Pogba sending-off and a quite sumptuous outside-of-the-foot pass from Jordan Henderson; Liverpool's 5-0 shellacking of Manchester United in October of 2021 will take some beating.

Then assistant boss Pep Lijnders likened the Reds' players to velociraptors due to the hunger in their pressing on the day and it was a cold Autumnal afternoon that few who had the privilege to witness it will ever forget. The historic humiliation was even meted out in one of the best away kits in recent memory too. If you know, you know.

There was even time for Naby Keita to score a goal and play a starring role for an hour before being taken off on a stretcher thanks to Pogba's awful challenge. It was a game that had it all, except any positives for United, that is.

As the ECHO wrote at the time: "The question now, then, is whether or not this wonderfully constructed and coached team are somehow even better than the one that won the Premier League title by 18 points in July 2020?

"Back then, there were few who quibbled at the suggestion that Liverpool were the best on the planet, but while that domestic success was earned through a teak-tough mentality and sheer force of will, this current side look more ruthless, more clinical, more in control. Rarely did that 2019/20 vintage eviscerate teams in the manner they are doing almost weekly right now."

The contrasting images of the two great statesmen of either club spoke a thousand words during the game as Sir Kenny Dalglish was pictured beaming ear to ear as Sir Alex Ferguson sported a look of a man who, well, had just seen his team beaten 5-0 by their great rivals at home. The disgust was etched all over his face.

Keifer MacDonald: Liverpool haven't always held the bragging rights over Manchester United in the Premier League era.

But in recent times, Reds supporters have been fortunate enough to witness a handful of thrashings inflicted on their bitter Premier League rivals.

Sunday's 3-0 triumph at Old Trafford, a venue they have won at just eight times in the Premier League era, will of course rank high on the list of all-time performances. But was it better than the 5-0 and 7-0 thrashings overseen by Jurgen Klopp a few years ago?

In my opinion, no. It would take something extraordinary - and quite frankly hilarious - to eclipse Liverpool's 7-0 win over United at Anfield in March 2023.

Even though Liverpool's season was heading for a bleak and tiresome finale by the time United made the trip to Anfield in early spring that was forgotten for 90 minutes as Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez fired braces before Roberto Firmino added a seventh late on, just days after announcing that his illustrious Anfield career would be coming to an end at the end of the campaign.

And even Salah's goals weren't without significance as the Egyptian's two Kop-end finishes saw him leapfrog Reds icon Robbie Fowler to become the club's top scorer in the Premier League era. It was also the second consecutive season that Liverpool had inflicted heavy a defeat and huge embarrassment on United.

It's why it will always be remembered as the greatest triumph this fixture has ever seen.