In the hallowed days of Sir Alex Ferguson, this mouthwatering fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool would have been a run-away victory for the Red Devils, especially at Old Trafford.
But the tables have since turned in the 21st century, and Liverpool, under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp are now on top of the English Premier League and chasing their second league title in four years.
United have, in the last decade or so, turned into an average side, struggling to find a coach who can bring back the glory days and turn Old Trafford into the once-fearsome Theatre of Dreams, once again.
It has been a topsy-turvy week for Liverpool. It started last Sunday after they shot back to the top of the league table after Manchester City and Arsenal played to a goalless draw.
But on Wednesday, Arsenal overtook them briefly with a 2-0 win over Luton Town. The following day, Liverpool came back from behind to register a convincing 3-1 win that propelled them to the top of the standings again.
This is while United fell 4-3 in dramatic fashion against Chelsea. United now sit at number six with 48 points after 30 matches. Liverpool are leading the race with 70 points after the same number of matches.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo said the players are not allowing talk of a title race to distract them from the job in hand.
“Obviously, we are aware of the situation, but we just try to approach every game and stay calm,” said Gakpo. “Obviously, your mind can go all over the place if you are thinking about the end of the season, but we just have to take it game by game. We are doing it pretty well at the moment, and we just need to stay calm and stay focused.”
After their defeat, United coach Erik ten Hag said that they must move forward.
“It’s definitely a setback, but now we have to deal with this, to get up again, and we will do. We are resilient. You have seen how resilient we are, how we returned to the game, the quality of our football, and how we can play outstanding football in moments, some really high moments. But football is about results, and you have to bring it over time,” he said.
