Premier League, Manchester United vs Liverpool: The Battle of Pride and Class
The match between the arch-rivals Manchester United (M.U) and Liverpool tonight (April 7th, 9:30 PM) is considered a battle of pride and class.
This statement holds true because the clash between M.U and Liverpool not only has implications for deciding this season’s Premier League champion but also represents an uncompromising duel between the top “Red Devils” of English football.
In the previous round, Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United to reclaim the top spot from Arsenal. It was not an easy match for the “Reds,” as they were held to a 1-1 draw until the 76th minute before Allister and Gakpo’s goals sealed the win for the home team. As a result, Liverpool once again opened up a 2-point lead over the second-placed Arsenal.
In contrast, M.U recently suffered a disappointing defeat against Chelsea, losing 3-4 despite leading 3-2 until the 98th minute. Continuous defensive errors have led coach Ten Hag’s team to lose 3 out of the last 5 matches in the Premier League. In these 5 matches, M.U conceded 10 goals.
However, M.U remains a formidable opponent for Liverpool. Just three weeks ago, they defeated Liverpool 4-3 in a match that extended to extra time in the FA Cup quarter-finals. This defeat shattered Liverpool’s dreams of winning the FA Cup. Captain and center-back Virgil Van Dijk hasn’t forgotten the loss and emphasized that it would be an unacceptable repetition for his teammates in tonight’s showdown. “We were very disappointed that day. Losing a match is never good, but the way we lost that day was hard to accept. Now the focus must be on this match to secure all 3 points. The match against M.U is significant for both teams, but the most important thing is that Liverpool must win,” Van Dijk stressed.
Clearly, Liverpool is still considered superior in terms of ranking and form. Coach Ten Hag’s team continues to experience an unstable season, as after defeating Liverpool, they were held to a draw by Brentford and came away empty-handed against Chelsea with a similar scenario. With the absence of key defensive personnel (Lisandro, Lindelof, Luke Shaw injured), M.U faces even more difficulty in coping with Liverpool’s excellent forwards in top form like Salah, Nunez, and Diaz.
In this context, Coach Ten Hag is facing a high risk of being sacked. According to bookmakers’ odds, the Dutch coach has become the most likely Premier League manager to be sacked, with odds of 7/2 (bet 2 to win 7). Criticism of Coach Ten Hag is escalating. If M.U continues to fail against Liverpool in tonight’s match, the fate of Coach Ten Hag could be sealed, as the “Red Devils” are almost out of the Champions League race, trailing the fifth-placed Tottenham by 9 points.
On the other hand, despite bidding farewell to Liverpool at the end of this season, Coach Jurgen Klopp is still considered the most successful and talented manager in the club’s history as well as in the Premier League. Therefore, a victory against M.U at Old Trafford tonight would not only strengthen Liverpool’s position at the top of the table but also serve as a beautiful farewell to him at the end of this season.
