Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday with the fortunes of the two teams about as disparate as they have ever been in the Premier League era, but that doesn’t make this weekend’s clash a foregone conclusion.
Ruben Amorim will be hoping the absence of expectation on his United team, added to the storied rivalry with Liverpool, can inspire his struggling charges to a famous away win despite the 23-point gap in the table to Arne Slot and his runaway title favourites.
With the latest instalment in the fierce contest just around the corner, here are five classic encounters from bygone times at the famous Stanley Park ground that should whet the appetite.
Liverpool 1-3 Man United, April 1997
There was no chasm in form or quality when the two sides met at the business end of the 1996-97 season. Sir Alex Ferguson’s United looked likely to claim their fourth crown in the first five seasons of the Premier League, but Liverpool and Roy Evans were very much part of the chasing pack and had a real chance to apply some pressure with a home win in the fourth last game of the campaign.
Unfortunately for Evans and co., they ran into an inspired performance from a certain David Beckham, just weeks shy of his 22nd birthday. The right midfielder delivered two pinpoint corners which were powerfully met by Gary Pallister in the first half, either side of John Barnes’ header from a Liverpool short corner.
The points were wrapped up by a youthful Andy Cole in the 63rd minute after Gary Neville scooped the ball past the defender on the right flank and looped a cross into the six-yard box. David James failed to claim it, and Cole nodded home to secure the three points and indeed the title — United would go on to finish seven points ahead of Liverpool who ended up in fourth after a disappointing run-in.
Liverpool 2-0 Man United, January 2020
Icy conditions greeted Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer’s team at Anfield in the days shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Premier League (and indeed the world), with Liverpool steaming towards their first title since 1988 after a relentless start to the season that had seen them win 20 of their first 21 games and sitting pretty atop the table.
The only dropped points to that stage had come at Old Trafford, and though a reverse against their old foes was unlikely to derail the coronation for too long, a statement win against them would add to the list of glorious scalps claimed by Jurgen Klopp’s men en route to the championship.
It was Liverpool’s big stars who delivered: First, Virgil van Dijk leapt above four United players to nod Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner into the top-right corner and settle the unusually nervous atmosphere around their home ground. United’s performance somewhat belied their 5th-placed league position, threatening to restore parity on a number of occasions. The best chance fell to Anthony Martial, who went through on goal only to blast his one-on-one well over Alisson’s goal.
It was left to Mohamed Salah to clinch the three points, as the Egypt international and talisman capitalised on United’s all-out-attacking approach in the final moments to break free from the defence and roll the ball under David de Gea before tearing off his shirt in front of the Kop End.
Liverpool 3-3 Man United, January 1994
The second-ever Premier League game between the two teams at Anfield proved to be a barnstormer as the Reds pulled off a famous comeback to earn a point after a disastrous opening to the game.
United sported an all black kit for the occasion and got off to the ideal start, with Eric Cantona’s beautifully weighted pass reaching Steve Bruce at the back post before he headed past Bruce Grobbelaar in the Liverpool net. Ryan Giggs doubled that advantage 11 minutes later with an impudent chip over Grobbelaar from outside the box, shortly before Denis Irwin slammed home a free-kick to leave the home fans shell-shocked.
However, Liverpool hit back instantly to lift the mood inside the ground through a Nigel Clough long-range effort that flew past Peter Schmeichel into the bottom corner. Defensive confusion amongst the men in black took hold in the 38th minute as the ball bounced around their danger area, with Clough once again the grateful beneficiary. His calm strike put the hosts within reach after an extraordinary first half.
Some semblance of normalcy returned in the second period as Ferguson’s United held off wave after wave of Liverpool attacks in the hope of returning home with a well-earned point — yet they would fall foul of one of Anfield’s great cult heroes of the era. Neil “Razor” Ruddock, the centre-back known best for his hardman tendencies and off-field eccentricity, rose highest to nod home a cross from Stig Inge Bjornebye and provoke wild celebrations in the stands and on Graeme Souness’ bench alike.
Liverpool 1-2 Man United, March 2015
This edition of the famous game between England’s two most successful clubs will be much more fondly remembered by United fans than those from the 30 or so miles west in Liverpool — particularly for acolytes of a certain Steven Gerrard.
Both teams were in the hunt for the top four and Champions League football as the season entered its business end, with Louis van Gaal’s team looking to rejoin Europe’s elite following the disastrous campaign under David Moyes the year before when Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool had been pipped to the title by Manchester City.
Juan Mata helped United earn an early lead, breaking onto a pass from Ander Herrera before calmly slotting past Simon Mignolet. Gerrard, who had started the game on the bench, was introduced at half-time having announced already that the season would be his last season at Anfield after 17 years.
That emotion, however, appeared to get the better of the legendary captain. After just 38 seconds of play in the second half, Gerrard jumped over a late tackle from Herrera in the opening exchange before stamping down on the Spanish midfielder, catching him with his studs. Martin Atkinson showed him a red card and United capitalised on the numerical advantage, with Mata executing an acrobatic scissor kick from Ángel Di María’s dinked ball to render Daniel Sturridge’s later finish a mere consolation.
The win moved United five points ahead of Liverpool, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as they finished fourth.
Liverpool 7-0 Man United, March 2023
Erik ten Hag and his team were not long off the back of a Carabao Cup triumph when they arrived at Anfield in early 2023, though their buoyant mood would soon turn to one of utter bemusement.
The first half was a relatively even affair. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford both spurned decent opportunities at establishing a lead before Cody Gakpo met Andrew Robertson’s perfect pass with a deft finish shortly before the break.
That was the last time the game would seem close, with the floodgates well and truly opening immediately after the break when Darwin Núñez made it 2-0 in the 47th minute with a header. Salah once again reclaimed his role as United’s tormentor-in-chief of the modern era, first feeding Gakpo for another smooth strike before getting on the scoresheet himself with a vicious finish into the roof of De Gea’s net.
The counting soon became complicated. Núñez added another with his head from a Jordan Henderson cross, before Salah took advantage of some calamitous defending to make it 6-0.
Aptly, the game was rounded off by Roberto Firmino, who had shortly prior announced that he would leave the Merseyside club at the end of the 2022-23 season. His close-range effort meant it was the largest margin of victory in the history of the fixture.
