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Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Last year’s demolition of United will at best be a non-factor in this year’s game—and could help Liverpool’s opponents.
Last season, Liverpool defeated Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford and 4-0 at Anfield. It was a historic scoreline on aggregate, a bigger spread over two league games than either had ever achieved in the rivalry.
Last season’s results, though, won’t help the Reds this year. If anything, they might give more fuel to a United side struggling under new manager Erik ten Hag. That’s the opinion of Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp ahead of the match.
“When we had the two results last year, I knew in that moment it would not help for next year,” he noted. “I couldn’t be less interested in results from last year. They were different games and different situations.
“It just helps United probably a little bit to be even more motivated—if that’s possible in the situation we are both in. But no, this is a completely different game obviously and a different situation, so that’s it.”
While Liverpool have stumbled in their opening two games, their two draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace less than expected from the presumed title challengers, they were comfortably the better side statistically in both.
United, on the other hand, have a pair of losses to Brentford and Brighton by a combined 6-1 to show for the first two games of the Ten Hag era—and already betting markets think that era may not be an especially long one.
The focus for United, then, will likely be on last season’s embarrassment as they look for any edge against a Liverpool side that’s better on paper, and the Reds must be ready for that or they risk their own embarrassing result.
