“Phenomenal performance” – Michael Owen showers praise on ‘masterclass’ from Liverpool star during win over Manchester United

Michael Owen has heaped praise on Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara following the Spaniard's mesmerizing display against Manchester United.

The Reds moved to the top of the Premier League table thanks to a convincing 4-0 win over their great North West rivals on Tuesday. Goals from Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and a brace from Mohamed Salah blew away a poor United side.

Thiago, however, grabbed attention on social media after controlling the midfield with ease. He received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd when he was substituted off for James Milner towards the end of the 90 minutes.

Owen, a club academy graduate who scored 118 goals in 216 games for the Reds before his departure to Real Madrid in 2004, tweeted his admiration for Thiago. He said:

The now pundit joined United towards the end of his career, so Liverpool fans weren't particularly gracious towards the former Ballon d'Or winner in their replies.

Since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2020, Thiago hasn't always been an automatic first choice. However, the playmaker has become an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's midfield three, having started in the Reds' previous four Premier League encounters.

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Liverpool go top thanks to dominant display over Manchester United

The match stats suggest that 4-0 didn't particularly flatter Liverpool, as United were completely overrun. According to the Premier League website, Ralf Ragnick's side only had two shots all evening compared to the host's 14, while also only having 28% possesion, as well as just 349 passes, compared to Liverpool's 879.

The result at Anfield, coupled with the 5-0 at Old Trafford, means this is the biggest aggregate win for either side in the history of this fixture. The Red Devils moved down a place to sixth in the table, still three points off fourth-placed Tottenham, who have played a game less and have a far superior goal difference.

Meanwhile, the Reds look as if they are on an unstoppable spree, having won 11 of their last 12 Premier League games, and haven't lost in the top-flight since December. They are of course still on course to complete a historic, unprecadented quadruple.

They currently sit two points ahead of Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola's team do play their game in hand at home to Brighton tomorrow evening.