Manchester United faces biggest title test against Liverpool

One of English soccers biggest rivalries resumes at Anfield on Sunday with the tables turnedLast season it was Liverpool in pursuit of a quadruple of trophies This year it is a Manchester United team rejuvenated by manager Erik ten Hag that has a chance to win four titlesIf United can navigate its way around arguably its most difficult remaining test in the Premier League a serious title challenge could be possibleHaving already played leading pair Arsenal and Manchester City home and away this season a trip to Anfield represents the last major test of Uniteds credentials even after Liverpools recent struggles for consistencyA Liverpool team that has already beaten City and Italian league leader Napoli at home this season could threaten Ten Hags ambitions The Merseyside club would relish the opportunity to derail Uniteds momentum as well as boost their own push for a Champions League qualifying spotAs impressive as Uniteds transformation has been under its Dutch manager the team has yet to secure a win against one of its major rivals away from Old Trafford That makes the visit to Anfield potentially even more instructive regarding the 20time league champions progressThe 22 draw at Barcelona in the Europa League playoffs last month was evidence of the growing confidence and courage of a team that has been unable to keep pace with City and Liverpool in recent years And while United went on to win the second leg 21 and advance to the round of 16 it is still waiting for that significant victory at the home of a leading club this seasonTen Hag was humbled in his first Manchester derby in October when losing to City 63 At Arsenal in January United missed the chance to put real pressure on the leaders with a 32 loss curtesy of Eddie Nketiahs winner in stoppage time It took an injurytime goal from Casemiro to salvage a 11 draw at Chelsea earlier in the seasonUniteds allaround improvement however has been undeniable with Wednesdays comefrombehind 31 win over West Ham in the FA Cup the latest example of the teams resilienceWe showed we have the character to deal with difficult situations The team can keep going with energy Ten Hag saidThey believe they can win games and once again they did it and Im happy with that process This team does not show panic and can change the dynamic of the gameThose qualities will be put to the test by a Liverpool team that has dominated this matchup in recent years winning 50 and 40 last seasonUniteds 21 win in August was the first time it had beaten Liverpool in the league since 2018If United can pick up three points however the seasons runin will look relatively smooth while Arsenal and City still have to play each other again and both face Liverpool as wellAlso readManchester City held 11 by Leipzig in last 16 of Champions LeagueArsenals 40 rout of Everton on Wednesday opened up an 11point gap on thirdplace United who have a game in handThe only other standout away games for United are at Newcastle and Tottenham though neither compares to the tension that accompanies a trip to AnfieldLiverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has his own ambitions beyond disrupting the title contenders despite a season of struggle The 20 win over Wolverhampton on Wednesday moved Liverpool within six points of fourthplace TottenhamThere have been signs of the 2020 champions rediscovering their form in recent weeks with moraleboosting wins against Everton and Newcastle The latest against Wolverhampton provided hope that Klopp can still salvage the season by at least qualifying for the Champions LeagueThe German coach described it as the best possible way to prepare for UnitedI think Man United is the team in form in the moment maybe together with Arsenal and City are doing well Klopp said adding that the home crowd could be a factorI thought Anfield proved a point tonight again It was super superenjoyable It felt like a proper unit We were all together I loved that Thats what we need again on SundayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever