THE cover of the next United We Stand fanzine features a cartoon of Ander Herrera jumping up, hand of God style, to put the ball past Liverpool’s Allison Becker.
To beat Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday in such controversial fashion, with a goal from a player rival fans love to hate, would be the perfect end to a very good week for Manchester United. Beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a ground where the team fare worse than any other, was magnificent on Monday. It simply wasn’t expected, but then nor were the wins at Tottenham or Arsenal.
This United team are beating some of the best sides in England and the away days couldn’t be more different from those under Jose Mourinho. United won two of Jose Mourinho’s final eight away games. They’ve won all seven under their new manager.
Though still a level below the European elite, United are impressive and improving, but they’ve yet to beat the current top two in England, Liverpool and Manchester City. Both beat Mourinho’s United comfortably at home, both were out of United’s sight before the season began. City went 19 points clear of United at the start of December, they and Liverpool are ‘only’ 14 points clear now.
It hurt, just as it did last season in another title race not involving England’s biggest club. For years, United fans extracted the urine out of their two biggest rivals: City because they never won anything and Liverpool because they’d slipped from their all-conquering 70s and 80s pomp to a side which won Mickey Mouse trebles, changed manager every couple of years and hammed up the subjective intangibles about ‘great support’. United fans laughed. Loudly. They had no qualms about kicking Liverpool while they were down, either.
Remember United’s (real) treble win in 1999 wouldn’t have been possible without two goals in the last two minutes of the FA Cup 4th round against Liverpool. Dwight Yorke and a former paid-up Liverpool fan club member called Ole Gunnar Solskjaer caused Liverpool’s distraught players to slump to the floor after the defeat.
#MUFC are becoming the new Liverpool… and it's a long way back!#LFC #EPL pic.twitter.com/1aKehgUidP
— Unibet (@unibet) December 14, 2018
But let’s not live in the past and face up to the demons of the present. It’s far easier for United fans to do this than to recall the evening of December 16th after Liverpool won 3-1 at Anfield. That was the low point of this season, for the players and the fans. The silence on the players’ coach back to Manchester was similar to that of the fans’ coach I travelled on in 1992 after United lost the league.
And now we meet again on Sunday, with more pressure on Liverpool than United. Liverpool, who haven’t won the league since 1990, have a very good side and are title contenders. They have 65 points from 25 games and have only lost once, at City. Liverpool finished the season with 60 points three seasons ago and 62 points the one before that. They still have a dozen games to go and they’re in a very good place; although level on points with Manchester City at the top of the league, they have a game in hand.
But … both City and Liverpool still have to come to Old Trafford. United might be also-rans this season, yet still have a crucial part to play in the title race. If Solskjaer would have been in charge since the start of the season they might actually be in it.
MANCHESTER UNITED V LIVERPOOL FULL MATCH BETTING
United fans don’t want either City or Liverpool to win the league this season, but they’d prefer City out of that rock and a hard place. Maybe it’s because they know that Liverpool are a truer rival to United, with a massive global following and a trophy cabinet big enough not to be laughed at by United fans. Liverpool matter, they’re a threat, they’ don’t face allegations of being unfairly bankrolled. They might still sell their best players to Barcelona, but Liverpool can sell out 90,000 capacity venues for pre-season matches without having to hand out free t-shirts as City were planning to do in Beijing before a postponed Manchester derby in 2016.
Liverpool have won 18 league titles, United 20, City five. With the team’s upturn in form and the game at home, United fans are feeling far more confident of playing them than in December.
Liverpool Fans at Old Trafford Allez, Allez, Allez 2018 https://t.co/2b4h5IYOsT via @YouTube
— YNWA Supporters (@YNWASupporters) March 14, 2018
United won the equivalent fixture last March, a game played in front of Old Trafford best atmosphere of the season. Liverpool fans were decent too with their Allez, Allez, Allez which kicked off under the stands before the match and was sung throughout.
United won and went into the next game against Sevilla full of hope. Mourinho’s stock was sufficiently high that the vast majority of fans welcomed him signing an extended contract. This was only 11 months ago, but United lost against Sevilla and Mourinho’s nine-month slide towards the sack had begun.
Fortunes went the other way for Liverpool. Allez, Allez, Allez was a very appropriate anthem as they surged towards the European Cup final, knocking out Manchester City and Roma on the way. They lost the final, but they had a great run to it and they’ve been even better this season, with Virgil Van Dijk the best defender in the league. Off the pitch, Liverpool have sorted their recruitment and media out. From trailing behind rivals, they’re now trailblazers.
Liverpool have conceded only 15 goals in 26 league matches, the best in the league. At the other end, only City have scored more than Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The German has yet to win a pot in England, but he’s built a fine side. United put one demon to bed this week by winning at Chelsea. Now it’s time for United to put an end to Liverpool’s year of fun.
