Just when Manchester United seemed to be on the right direction, Liverpool handed them a brutal 7-0 loss in the derby. It was certainly a shocking result for Erik ten Hag's men, who were riding on an 11-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
After losing to Arsenal in a hard-fought affair at the Emirates Stadium in January, United managed to string good results together. Not only did they climb in the Premier League standings, but they also knocked Barcelona out of the Europa League and won the EFL Cup against Newcastle.
Well, it only took one loss to suddenly feel like everything is falling apart. United suffered their worst defeat in Premier League history against the lifelong rivals, and the manager reportedly taught his players a lesson in an atypical way.
Erik ten Hag's reported punishment for his players after brutal defeat to Liverpool
According to The Sun, a furious Erik ten Hag banned his players from talking in the dressing room, forcing them to listen to Liverpool's post-game celebrations to feel the pain of losing in such a terrible way.
The report claims the Dutch manager was never seen this angry before, and that he also told his players they were lucky not to travel back home with the United fans who had to witness such an embarrassing performance.
But that wasn't it. On Monday, ten Hag reportedly arrived early at the club's training facilities to prepare footage of the Liverpool defeat to display in front of his players before a recovery session.
It was definitely a huge step back for United after so many weeks of progress. But now it's time to turn the page. There's still a long way to go this season, and a challenging Europa League tie with Betis looms around.
