Liverpool vs. Manchester United. They hate us, we hate them. They have the highest number of league titles, while we’re European royalty with the most number of European trophies.
Each team has had its own ups and downs and its own era of dominance, but the rivalry has always been fierce. This match against our old adversaries is never just about the three points. This means more.
Liverpool welcomed United to Anfield with seven clean sheets in a row before Sunday, and hadn’t dropped a single point since the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in October.
Also they were on the cusp of going 16 points clear of second-place Manchester City, with a game in hand.
The stakes for Liverpool were undoubtedly huge, but United, on the other hand, would have loved nothing more to stop this Reds juggernaut and give their own fans a reason to celebrate, in what has been a below-par season for them.
A strong start from the home side saw Virgil van Dijk rise above everyone else to head home the opening goal.
Many were expecting the floodgates to open up from that point on, with Liverpool constantly knocking on the door but United holding on.
The visitors spurned a couple of chances to pull level. Andreas Pereira went agonisingly close, but failed to get a strong enough touch to divert the ball into the net from couple of yards out in the 41st minute.
Anthony Martial then shot high and wide after he found himself with plenty of room in the Liverpool box in the 59th minute.
The moment of the match, however, came in stoppage time of the second half, when Alisson released Mohamed Salah with an inch-perfect pass downfield.
The Egyptian dribbled half the length of the pitch, showing great strength to hold off Daniel James and score past David de Gea to send Anfield into delirium.
There is no better feeling then getting a win against our old enemy and the celebrations that followed were nothing short of iconic.
Salah had ripped his top off in front of the Kop and Alisson was seen sprinting down the entire length of the pitch to join in the celebration – what a moment it was.
As the referee blew his whistle soon after, the message from the fans was loud and clear.
A roar of “We’re gonna win the league” rang around the stadium for the first time this season and there is now firm belief that this team will not be denied Premier League glory come May.
What a team we are watching.
