Manchester United vs Liverpool

Old Trafford forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Premier League match between eternal rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

Manchester United’s last-gasp 1-0 win against Fulham on matchday one fell into oblivion after Brighton’s injury-time winner condemned Erik ten Hag’s troops to a 2-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium last weekend. It was the sixth time the Red Devils have conceded in second-half stoppages under the Dutch manager, raising questions about his ability to keep the team focused until the final whistle. There’s no better way to silence the critics than beating the fiercest rivals, Liverpool, yet United’s last league win against the Reds dates back to August 2022. All three competitive meetings between the two teams in the 2023/24 season ended level in regulation, with the Red Devils winning the iconic FA Cup clash in extra time 4-3 en route to the title.

A lot has changed at Anfield since that loss. Long-serving manager Jurgen Klopp left in the summer, with his successor, Arne Slot, inspiring Liverpool to a phenomenal league start. The Reds defeated Ipswich Town and Brentford in the opening two rounds by an identical 2-0 scoreline, with three of the four goals they scored in those matches coming beyond halftime. The Merseyside giants could start a new top-flight season with three consecutive wins ‘to nil’ for only the third time in the club’s storied history, but there’s a catch. They’ve failed to beat Man United in their last three competitive H2Hs at Old Trafford (D1, L2), conceding at least two goals on each occasion. That said, they’ve suffered just one defeat in their last six Premier League visits to this ground (W2, D3).