After a flying start, Liverpool’s season has stuttered with 3 consecutive losses. With so much recent joy against Man Utd, facing them at Anfield could be the perfect opportunity to regain momentum.
After starting their league defence with 15 points from a possible 15, Liverpool’s rivals would have been fearing the worst. With two league losses, the team has lost its top spot, with other teams now breathing down its neck.
Yet, Man Utd could be where Liverpool’s season gets back on track. The famous rivalry has been quite one-sided in recent years. Liverpool will once again be looking to exploit the Manchester club’s frailties.
History is on Liverpool’s Side
As it often is, history is on Liverpool’s side when it comes to this fixture, especially in recent years. When we look at the Premier League betting odds, Liverpool are still clear favourites at 1.55. However, you’d have expected those odds to be comfortably lower had Liverpool continued its winning streak.
The draw being at 4.30 and a Man Utd victory at 5.33 most likely reflects the team’s recent struggles at Anfield. Liverpool has only lost once to Man Utd in any Premier League game since March 2018. For matches at Anfield, the Manchester club hasn’t won a game there since January 2016.
There have been a couple of Old Trafford FA Cup defeats in that time but Liverpool has dominated in the league. That will surely give the club a lot of confidence going into this crucial fixture.
As any Liverpool fan will know, that streak has also seen some incredibly embarrassing defeats for the Red Devils. A 4-2 loss at Old Trafford in May 2021 would have been difficult for Man Utd fans to swallow but a 5-0 loss in the same ground in October of that year was even worse.
Then the following two Premier League games at Anfield probably still give Man Utd fans nightmares. If a 4-0 loss in April 2022 was bad, that was nothing compared to the legendary 7-0 thrashing that occurred in March 2023.
Those defeats have no doubt given Man Utd players and fans a few mental scars when it comes to visiting Anfield. Man Utd managed to scrape a draw on their last visit to Anfield but last season still included a 3-0 win for Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The Emotional Lift
Liverpool needs to restore some confidence. A lot of investment has been made in the summer and a few of those signings have yet to catch fire. It has led some doubts to creep into a team that has gone from benefitting from late winners to conceding them.
At this point, it feels as though the team needs an emotional jolt of energy. Any type of win against Man Utd will give a boost that is both immediate and magnified. It will create a buzz around the club that would be unlike anything else.
There is also the benefit of putting down one of your rivals. Man Utd are suffering yet another difficult start to a Premier League campaign. However, with them coming off a win against Sunderland, it would be the perfect opportunity to trip them up once more.
Usually, when you’re on a bad run, you want to face the easiest team possible to give you an easy win. In this case, Man Utd may be the perfect opponent for Liverpool. It’s the perfect opportunity to inject a feel-good factor back into the club.
Why a Win Is Vital
October isn’t a time in a season where the pressure is at its highest, with the finishing line being so far away. In reality, Liverpool is entering a run of fixtures that could define the season. After the Man Utd match is a game against Eintracht Frankfurt away. If the club doesn’t win that one, the next Champions League match is against Real Madrid.
Due to this, Liverpool will want some momentum going into that Frankfurt game. After that comes a tricky away trip in the league to Brentford and then an EFL Cup match against a team they’ve just lost to, Crystal Palace.
With league games against Aston Villa and Man City either side of that Real Madrid game, it’s a challenging period and one where the club will be desperate for some positivity. If the club comes out of those games with momentum, they’ll then be faced with a much easier run of games until the end of the calendar year.
Pressure Shifts and Narrative Control
As a title-winning club, you want to feel in control of your own destiny. When the losses creep in, it can feel as though pundits, commentators and opposing fans can all pile in to make the situation even worse. A win at Anfield against their own rivals will allow Liverpool to control the narrative again.
After such a win, the previous losses can be seen as just a small bump in the road rather than something fundamentally wrong. Not only will it help to relieve the pressure on Liverpool but the added benefit will be piling all that pressure back on their fierce rivals and their under-fire manager.
