One possible reason as to why Liverpool’s away clash with arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday kicks off at a bizarre time has now been given, with the Premier League clash originally scheduled to start at 4:30 pm.
Over the years, meetings between two of English football’s fiercest foes have often been full of drama and passion.
Indeed, earlier in the season, the Red Devils – still managed by Ruben Amorim – managed to pull off an unexpected 2-1 win at Anfield, with Harry Maguire scoring late on to break the home side’s hearts.
At Old Trafford, though, Liverpool have been known to ruffle the Red Devils’ feathers, too, with a 3-0 win secured in 2024, courtesy of goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, helping Arne Slot to a Premier League title during his debut season at the helm.
The contest ahead on Sunday will be as high-stakes as ever, with Liverpool needing to seal two more wins to clinch a Champions League qualification, while Michael Carrick’s men will just want to regain bragging rights, after that demoralising defeat last campaign.
Originally set for a 4:30 pm kick-off on Sunday, the fixture has now been surprisingly changed to kick off an hour earlier instead, with the strange decision announced in March.
While it’s hardly a shock for the game to take place on Sunday for TV coverage, the 3:30 pm time slot is an unusual time, with one big reason potentially behind the last-minute rescheduling.
The reason behind the rescheduling
Reports seem to suggest that the game has been taken away from its usual 4:30 pm slot as an additional security measure.
Indeed, it is reported that ‘Super Sunday’ matches, which are commonly shown on Sky Sports at either 2 pm or 4:30 pm, can be pushed back if they are a high-risk game, in terms of additional policing needing to be in operation.
Unsurprisingly, for one of the most intense showdowns in English football, extra policing is required, with two games in 2024 between the two hated rivals having to be changed to an updated 3:30 pm kick-off, for the same reasons.
Manchester Derbies are also commonly subject to these late changes, with Liverpool needing to put any possible distractions at the back of their mind, such as this last-minute alteration, to overcome Carrick’s men at the Theatre of Dreams.
Liverpool could make it three wins on the spin
While Liverpool has recorded some emphatic wins over United in recent years, with a 7-0 drubbing when Erik ten Hag was in charge sticking out, the Reds haven’t actually beaten their Manchester foes across their last two meetings.
Even when Slot and Co. resoundingly stormed to the Premier League title last season, United still managed to collect a 2-2 draw when travelling to Anfield, as a late leveller from Amad Diallo silenced the home masses.
Liverpool will be hoping it’s their turn to silence an expectant home crowd, with a win against the Red Devils on Sunday, which would be their third in a row in the Premier League, taking them one step closer to clinching Champions League football.
