Manchester United should be wary of the ‘Anfield factor’ when they take on Liverpool this Sunday.
United travel to take on their bitter rivals in brilliant form. Having scooped the Carabao Cup last weekend, they then made it through to the FA Cup quarter-final in mid-week. But despite their good form, Gary Neville thinks they’ll still have to careful of getting overrun by the Anfield atmosphere.
“I’m not saying that the Manchester United players will be worried about going there on Sunday. But anybody who’s been to Anfield before and most of that team have been, if not all of them, will know how difficult it is and how it can all go wrong there and how that crowd can get on top of you and make it difficult for you particularly in that first part of the game,” the former United captain said via Football Daily.
“Manchester United on Sunday will have to be at their absolute best and more to beat Liverpool, irrespective of the form that Liverpool are in. But I do feel this is a Liverpool that this Manchester United team can damage.”
With United looking the superior team right now, the Reds will need all the help they can get from the crowd. Come on, Liverpool.
Liverpool looking to close the gap
It has felt like a little while since United travelled to Anfield as favourites to win the game. But they should do this Sunday.
Erik ten Hag has turned fortunes around at Old Trafford, with a little help from £200m spent last summer of course. As a result, they look like a genuine title contender again.
Liverpool on the hand, do not. But as Neville says, you just never know in these games. The Reds have a tendency to raise their game when the big boys come to town, and they’re in decent form themselves.
There’s also big incentive for Liverpool – a win would put them seven points behind their visitors. With 13 games still to play, that’s a closable gap. Go the other way, and 13 points would feel like too big-a difference to bridge.
Liverpool were outclassed by United when the two teams met earlier this season. In the six months since then, Ten Hag’s team have got better and better, while the Reds have regressed alarmingly.
Recently though, shoots of recovery have started to form. A win on Sunday against one of the league’s form teams would be a clear sign that the Liverpool of old is starting to return. They’ll need Anfield to find it’s best voice to do it, though.