One of English football's biggest rivalries resumes at Anfield on Sunday with the tables turned. (More Football News)
Last season, it was Liverpool in pursuit♛ of a quadruple of tܫrophies. This year, it is a Manchester United team rejuvenated by manager Erik ten Hag that has a chance to win four titles.
If United can navigate its way around arguably its most difficult remain💙ing test in the Premier League, a serious🌟 title challenge could be possible.
Having already played leading pair Arsenal and Manchester City home and away this season, a trip to Anfield represents the last major test of United's credentials, even after Liver🍸pool's recent struggles for consistency.
A Liverpool team that has already beaten City and Italian league leader Napoli at home this season could threaten to Ten Hag's ambitions. The Merseyside club would relish the opport𝄹unity to derail United's momentum as well as boost their own push for a Champions League qualifying spot.
As impressive as United's transformation has been under i🍸ts Dutch manager, the team has yet to secure a win against one of its major rivals away from Old Trafford. T♓hat makes the visit to Anfield potentially even more instructive regarding the 20-time league champions' progress.
The 2-2 draw at Barcelona in the Europa League playoffs last month was evidence of the growing confidence and courage of a team that has been unable to keep pace with City and Liverpool 🎐in recent years. And while United went on to win the second leg 2-1 and advance to the round of 16, it is still waiting for that significant victory at the home of a leading club this season.
Ten 𝓀Hag was hu𓃲mbled in his first Manchester derby in October when losing to City 6-3. At Arsenal in January, United missed the chance to put real pressure on the leaders with a 3-2 loss, curtesy of Eddie Nketiah's winner in stoppage time. It took an injury-time goal from Casemiro to salvage a 1-1 draw at Chelsea earlier in the season.
United's all-around improvement, however, hasღ been undeniable, with Wednesday's come-from-behind 3-1 win over West Ham in the FA Cup the latest example of the team's resilie✃nce.
&q♛uot;We showed we have the character to deal with difficult situations. T༺he team can keep going with energy," Ten Hag said.
"They believe they can win games and once 🎶again they did it and I'm happy with that process. This team does not show panic and can change the dynamic of the game.”
Those qua🐷lities will be put to the test by a Liverpool team that has dominated this matchup in recent years, winning 5-0 and 4-0 last season.
United's 2-1 win in August was the fir𝔉st time it had beaten Liverpool in the♏ league since 2018.
If United can pick up three po♊ints, however, the season's run-in will look relatively smooth, while Arsenal and City still hওave to play each other again and both face Liverpool as well.
Arsenal's 4-0 rout of Everton on Wednesday ope🃏ned up an 11-point gap on third-place United, who have a game in h♈and.
The only other standout away games for United are at Newcastle and Tottenham, though neither compares to the tension that accompanies a trip to Anfi♐eld.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has his own ambitions beyond disrupting the title𒉰 contenders, despite a season of struggle. The 2-0 win over Wolverhampton on Wednesday moved Liverpool within six points of fourt𒉰h-place Tottenham.
Thꩲere have been signs of the 2020 champions rediscovering their form in recent weeks with morale-boosting wins against Everton and Newcastle. The latest, against Wolverhampton, provided hope that Klopp can still salvage the season by at least q🍌ualifying for the Champions League.
൲The German coach de🌠scribed it as the "best possible way" to prepare for United.
"I think Man United is the team in form in the moment, maybe together with Arsenal — and City are doing well," Klopp said, adding that the home crowd could be a ꦆfactor.
"I thought Anfield proved a point tonight again. It was super, super-enjoyable. It felt like a proper unꦚit. We were all together — I loved that. That's what we need again on Sunday."
