Neil Humphreys: Liverpool must put Manchester United demons to bed
Reds cannot let the old enemy take bragging rights
Here's a question for Manchester United fans. Would you rather qualify for the Champions League or end up being the only side to defeat Liverpool this season?
The answer is obvious, but only to anyone who is not a United supporter.
A top-four finish props up the flimsy facade of progress for Red Devils fans eager to cling to those halcyon days of empire.
But it is Liverpool.
| LIVERPOOL | MAN UNITED |
Swallow that foul taste at the back of the throat and acknowledge the tribal prejudice that seeps through the soul.
European football is always sweet, but the tantalising prospect of being a stubborn asterisk at the end of Liverpool's shiniest of seasons must be tempting.
And the Anfield mob know this. They fear this.
They will pretend otherwise, of course, churning out the usual soundbites about United's upcoming visit being just another fixture.
But they will fool no one.
Actions speak louder than overly rehearsed words.
Liverpool just cannot beat United, not in the same way they roll over everyone else.
Juergen Klopp's men have tasted victory only twice in five attempts at Anfield, which is not just an anomaly.
It is a psychological roadblock.
Liverpool's inability to look past United's badge, history and mutual hatred to see the fallen franchise for what it is, is what makes their upcoming meeting so intriguing.
There are longstanding demons to be exorcised.
Liverpool boast an extraordinary 38-game unbeaten run that dates back almost a year to the day. They have dropped only two points since the season kicked off, back in October, against the Red Devils.
They were five minutes from a deserving defeat when Adam Lallana popped up with a late equaliser. That game ended Liverpool's 17-match winning streak. They also fell one game short of Manchester City's English Premier League record.
But the stats were less significant than the inert display.
Liverpool did not quite freeze against United, but they did not flourish either. Mohamed Salah was injured and certainly missed, but the Reds' trademark intensity was missed more.
Beating United has become the itch that Klopp cannot scratch.
He was all waving arms and gritted teeth at Old Trafford, as if trying to summon his team's absent energy from within.
He mostly failed. He usually does against United.
The wait for Klopp's first win at Old Trafford continues.
MAGNITUDE OF THE OCCASION
Liverpool often dominate possession against United - they had 68 per cent of the ball at Old Trafford - but they still seem shackled by the magnitude of the occasion. The shared, volatile history overwhelms them.
The same squad that saw off Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Barcelona to win the Champions League, while totting up 97 points in the EPL, should be more than capable of defeating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's misfits on a reasonably regular basis.
But they cannot. The burden of expectation, a century-long rivalry and that glorious, foaming hatred between the two sides have created a handicap.
There is even a sneaky suspicion that the Red Devils may go one better at Anfield and pinch a victory and take four points out of six and full bragging rights from the champions-in-waiting.
Ask around. This is not an unpopular opinion.
Current form and common sense would suggest otherwise, of course.
United relied on an ageing Juan Mata to squeeze past Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup yesterday morning (Singapore time), as their midfield engine offers less speed and menace than Thomas the Tank Engine.
Nemanja Matic and Fred should not keep the Reds awake at night. The pair often play as if they are struggling to stay awake on the pitch.
With Marcus Rashford facing a late fitness test, United may be without their most reliable goal source against Liverpool's most obdurate defence in years.
And still, the uncertainty remains. That vulnerability against United endures, even under Klopp.
United ended the unbeaten runs of Arsenal's Invincibles in 2004 and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in 2005 and will gleefully accept the match ball for giant slayings if they embarrass the Reds again.
The Anfield result will have little bearing on the title race, but this fixture feels like a potential passing of the imperial torch.
With all due respect to Manchester City and their billion-dollar attempt to buy a short-cut to global adulation, Liverpool and United are still the power brokers that count.
There have been different title winners, but only United knocked Liverpool off their perch for a generation.
The Reds know it is time to return the favour. Or they'll never hear the end of it.
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