Liverpool face Manchester United in historically rare meeting on equal footing

The two meet in a top of the table clash on Sunday but one of the curiosities of English football’s greatest rivalry is how rarely they’ve done so

Jurgen Klopp and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United via Getty Images)

While Jurgen Klopp has reminded his players of how good they have been on big nights, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been telling his to seize this day. It is very much recent class against present form.

Through that, both managers know how significant Sunday’s match at Anfield could be for the future of any title race. It might also foster some history.

One of the little curiosities of English football’s greatest rivalry is how rarely they’ve actually been in this situation. In fact, in 121 seasons, that have seen both clubs together win a record 39 league titles, there have only been five when both finished as the top two. They were 1946-47, 1963-64, 1979-80, 1987-88 and 2008-09. That is largely down to the quirk that their most successful periods have generally come when the other club has been struggling. Even in the grander 20-19 race for leagues between them, their title wins have come in similar patterns: two-in-a-row for Liverpool followed by two for Manchester United; three for Liverpool, three for United; an exchange of two titles each for the four between 1964 and 1967, and then an empire-building 11 for Liverpool, followed by 13 for United.

All of that has undoubtedly made the pain of enduring their rivals’ successes even worse, as Liverpool could testify for most of the 1990s and 2000s, and United for the 1980s, as well as the last two years. The best they could often hope for in such circumstances was a big win to try and spoil the party, or just cause a bit of disruption. That has actually been the most frequent type of fixture in the rivalry’s history, with classics of the genre coming through Gordan Strachan’s cigar in 1987-88, Liverpool delivering the title to Leeds United in 1992-92, Paul Ince’s equaliser in 1998-99 and Marcus Rashford’s swished finish in 2017-18.

Such matches greatly outnumber properly seismic league games where both have been going for the title. There have arguably only been a handful of those in 121 years: Gordon Milne’s winner in 1965-66; United’s 2-1 that kept them in touching distance in 1979-80; the trio of headers David James succumbed to in 1996-97; and the famous 4-1 of 2008-09.

It’s just as pointed that the winners in two of those didn’t actually go on and win the title. The greatest fixture in English football has very rarely had great consequence.

The wonder this weekend is whether this match - or maybe the return in May - will add to that elite list.

It will at the very least tell us a little more about United’s ability to even be involved in a title race. That, despite their recent run, is something that’s still open to question.

They might have been better than Liverpool of late, but Klopp’s side are the champions, and we know their absurdly high ceiling. We still don’t know United’s true level.

Part of that is because they remain a streaky team. They are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the league, something that could make a huge difference in a historically volatile season, but even that has been part of Solskjaer’s trend of runs of wins followed by significant drop-offs. Even in this spell, there has been a sense of just about getting away with it in games that could have gone either way. That is a description that applies to the victories over West Ham United, Sheffield United, Wolves, Aston Villa and Burnley.

It’s often said in such circumstances that it’s good when a team grinds out results in such situations, but that’s on the basis we know a team’s true level, and ceiling. We still don’t know that with United.

It is why this game should be so instructive, and hopefully invigorating. It’s also one other reason it could be so big.

As becomes kind of typical with a streaky team, they can often solve one problem, only for that solution to throw up another. That is precisely what has happened with the nature of games United are winning. They are finally beating most of the Premier League again, picking off teams who lie deep, but now haven’t had the same success against any of the traditional big six or Leicester City.

They haven’t won a single one of those games yet this season, and have lost three. This, consequently, would be quite a game for a conquest.

The problem for United is that, as Klopp has been telling his players this week, it is precisely the kind of fixture Liverpool revel in.

They have been the ultimate big-game team under the German, and so far managed what felt like the most significant win this season with that late victory over Tottenham Hotspur. It also seemed to kill Jose Mourinho’s title challenge there and then.

Could they do similar for United? It would be very like champions, and very like Sir Alex Ferguson, for the side to suddenly put the hammer down when it matters most.

It may also be the kind of fixture required to focus minds. Liverpool have been in very forgiving form so far. Every time they look like they’re going to go on the kind of run that allows them to take command of this livewire season - like after the 7-0 over Crystal Palace - they stumble. This may restore their resolve.

It is the mindset Klopp has been working on. It is also clearly playing on his mind, too. There was no bigger giveaway of that than his talk about the number of penalties United get. That very much was Ferguson-like.

It also shows he is taking this United very seriously. This will also show how serious United are.

Looming over much of this, of course, are a resurgent Manchester City. They may yet be the team to deny a mere two-way race between England’s most historically successful clubs. This match, however, still has to set it up.