Liverpool return to Old Trafford on Sunday with revenge on their mind, knowing anything short of a win won’t be enough as Manchester United look to derail their fiercest rivals’ Premier League title challenge.
These two clubs threw up one of the games of the season in the FA Cup last month. United won in the most dramatic of circumstances to put an end to Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple ambitions and keep their season alive.
On Sunday, Sky Sports brings you the latest edition of this rivalry with Erik ten Hag fighting for his future and Premier League leaders Liverpool hoping to give their manager the perfect send-off in his final season.
Check out our exclusive interviews, features and analysis below ahead of Sunday’s crunch game at Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports, with kick-off at 3.30pm….
Sunday 7th April 2:30pm
Kick off 3:30pm
Ten Hag has ‘no doubts’ he will stay as Man Utd boss
A defiant Erik ten Hag has insisted he has “no doubts” he will still be Manchester United’s manager next season ahead of Sunday’s game.
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he has ‘no doubts’ that he will still be in the role next season and remains focused on the project
The United boss, who said a week ago that he “does not care” about speculation linking United with England coach Gareth Southgate, has reiterated in the wake of Thursday’s shattering defeat at Chelsea he still expects to remain at Old Trafford next season.
“I don’t have any doubts,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports. “I’m just focusing on my job, focusing on this process, in this project. I really love to be here, I’m enjoying it. For me it’s a challenge.”
Sky Sports News reported at the end of March that United have not made a definitive decision over Ten Hag’s future and are planning for next season with him, including potential recruitments and summer tour plans.
Read more from Sky Sports’ exclusive interview with Ten Hag here.
Klopp: We must correct mistakes from cup defeat
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says it’s a tight title race in the Premier League this season and admits that his side’s clash against Manchester United is a big game
Jurgen Klopp has won just twice and drawn four of his 10 visits to Old Trafford as Liverpool manager, while one of his four defeats came in dramatic fashion in the FA Cup last month as their quadruple dreams ended.
Klopp knows his side will have to correct the errors they made in that 4-3 defeat if they want to maintain their advantage in the Premier League title race, saying: “We were really good that day but we didn’t finish the situations off.
“Extra-time was too much for us and we couldn’t avoid the mistakes. It was the day we couldn’t control it anymore.
“United turned the game around and United is a top side playing at home. What we have to do is what we did from minute 15 to 70-something.
“Football is not that easy. We have to find a way to cause United problems. They will try the same.
“Against this opponent, in this stadium, we better play a really good game if we want something from it.”
Ten Hag: Players will be ‘angry’
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says his side need to recover from their late capitulation against Chelsea, as they prepare to take on rivals Liverpool on Sunday
Erik ten Hag warned Liverpool that United will be “angry” after their capitulation against Chelsea on Thursday, saying: “We will keep fighting.”
The Dutchman said. “We have character. I’m sure they will be there on Sunday to be in the fight against Liverpool.
“We have qualities. We have some great players. We can play very high standards. We have seen against Liverpool, we can compete with the best and beat the best teams in the Premier League.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United
“But we need to learn how you win games. We need to make better decisions individually and as a team.
“We have to recover very quick. We have to turn this around. We will be angry and you can take a lot of energy. That is the way we have to do it.”
Ten Hag also had a message for United fans, saying: “Be behind Manchester United. Support us in a positive way.
“There is a fantastic bond between the team and the fans. We have seen in the game against Liverpool, we can have togetherness on a positive way on the pitch.”
Why comeback wins are Liverpool’s new speciality
Liverpool are making comebacks their thing. Seven times the Reds have fallen behind this season only to end the game triumphant, the latest coming against Brighton last weekend.
It’s got a whiff of ‘champion’s credentials’. This new-found, or rediscovered defiance, which has its roots in Jurgen Klopp’s refusal to surrender, will serve them well as this enthralling title race meanders and zigzags in unpredictable directions.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Liverpool and Sheffield United
Liverpool at their best have always been daring under Klopp. They have won everything the club game has to offer. But this final farewell, before the German takes his emotional leave after nine years in charge at Anfield, has a different feel about it.
While the theme is consistent, the methods are not. The blueprint is varied. And these are not cluster comebacks, there is evidence of Liverpool falling behind in most months this season before staging a fightback to claim victory – 21 points won from losing positions.
What’s driving such an upturn? Read Laura Hunter’s feature here.
Ten Hag unwilling to face reality – United’s defence is a problem
United may be sixth in the Premier League but there is one area in which they lead the way.
Remarkably, the 13-time Premier League winners have conceded more shots on goal than any other side in Europe’s top-five leagues in 2024.
Perhaps even more remarkably, Ten Hag insists it is not an issue, dismissing questions over the ease at which opponents are attacking United’s goal as “ridiculous” – minutes after seeing his side concede four to mid-table Chelsea.
“We ranked fourth for goals conceded before tonight,” said Ten Hag. “We are good, and we have good defending as a team and a good goalkeeper, so I cannot do nothing.”
Perhaps Ten Hag isn’t one for statistics – or perhaps he simply wants to ignore them, given they make ugly reading for his side.
United may have the fifth-best defence in the Premier League in terms of goals conceded but their expected goals conceded numbers rank them as one of the worst in the top flight.
Were it not for Andre Onana – who has conceded three fewer goals than expected based on Opta’s data – then United would be in even more trouble.
Even more worrying for United is the fact that Liverpool rank first in the Premier League for both expected goals and shots per 90 this season. Onana could be in for a busy Sunday afternoon.
The Essential Football Podcast: Is Man Utd vs Liverpool ‘must-win’ for both sides?
Sky Sports journalists Ron Walker, Peter Smith and Richard Morgan discuss the huge clash between Man Utd and Liverpool at Old Trafford, and consider whether both sides must win the game as the Premier League season edges towards its conclusion.
Autocomplete Challenge: What does Andre Onana think about that Rihanna song?
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana answers the most-asked online questions about including what he regards as his best Premier League save, who his footballing hero is and what he thinks about that Rihanna song!
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Andre Onana answers the most-asked online questions, including what he regards as his best Premier League save, who his footballing hero is and what he thinks about that Rihanna song!
Salah: We know how much Man Utd want to stop us winning title
Mohamed Salah has told Sky Sports Liverpool must win every game to claim the Premier League title and knows how much Manchester United will want to stop them from winning the league.
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Mohamed Salah says Liverpool cannot rely on any slip ups from Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League title race
Hojlund: Scoring against Liverpool would be incredible!
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund says it would feel incredible to score against Liverpool.
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Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund says it would feel incredible to score against Liverpool
Jones Knows – Thrashing ahoy: Man Utd 1-6 Liverpool! – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!
Sky Sports’ tipster Lewis Jones:
Someone is going to give Manchester United a good spanking before the season is out.
Step forward Liverpool?
United could be without four senior central defenders through injury, meaning Harry Maguire and Willy Kambwala, protected by the clunky Casemiro, could be the resistance United offer up to a Liverpool attack that has scored three or more goals in seven of their last 11 Premier League games. United are heading into battle with a shield made of poppadums and an underlying process which is becoming quite laughable.
They have faced the most shots in the Premier League in 2024 (225) – it’s also the most shots faced of any team in Europe’s major leagues. The corners conceded numbers also remain out of control, shipping 101 in their last 10 Premier League games – again, the most of any Premier League team.
For context, Liverpool have conceded just 34 in their last 11 games. The markets have finally reacted to these numbers with the Liverpool corner line set at eight or more here at 5/4 with Sky Bet which is a little shorter than ideal but still should be a bet that lands in what could be a landslide of an away win.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-6
Watch Man Utd vs Liverpool on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League from 2.30pm; kick-off 3.30pm.
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