Manchester United win at Liverpool would send ‘shockwaves’ through Premier League, claims Jamie Carragher

The champions are three points behind the Red Devils entering Sunday’s game at Anfield

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher (Sky Sports)

Jamie Carragher insists Sunday’s top of the Premier League match at Anfield is “a bigger game” for Liverpool than Manchester United.

The former Reds defender believes the champions have the pressure on them hosting their rivals and the leaders at the top of the table.

United can move six points clear of the Reds with victory and Carragher believes Jurgen Klopp’s side need a performance and a result to reaffirm their status in the title race, while an away win would “send shockwaves through the Premier League”. 

"I actually think it's a bigger game for Liverpool," Carragher said. "The onus is more on them.

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"If United got a result there, that's when the belief would come that they could win the league. I still think people think United may fall away and Liverpool have still got that edge, but if they won at Anfield that would send shockwaves through the Premier League.

“It's a game where Liverpool need to show they are the champions, they are the better team, get the result and also a performance that puts Manchester United back where they are.”

Nemanja Matic has also outlined why the Red Devils are “ready to compete” for the title after edging past Burnley to move clear at the top.

"I think that this kind of win [against Burnley] shows that we are ready to compete for [the] title," Matic, who won the title twice with Chelsea. “Sometimes (in the past) we looked like a team who wants to score as soon as possible, then we get panicked.

“I think today we showed more maturity, we showed that we are more clever and on this pitch here, in this stadium against Burnley, it's always hard to win the games.

“Not to concede a goal from the long balls, set-pieces, so we prepared the game well and I think that we deserved these three points. In our team we have lots of quality and in these kind of games you have to use that.

“You have to be patient, not to panic, because when you have that much quality during 90 minutes one situation will decide (the game) and it was exactly what we did today. I'm happy. I'm happy for the team, for the team performance, for our team spirit and let's see Sunday against Liverpool.

“It's the biggest derby in England. We go there to compete with them, to see where we are (against) one of the best teams in the league, so I think that we are ready.”