Manchester United hold key to Liverpool ending Man City domination in Premier League – Liverpool Echo, Liverpoolecho.co.uk

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Equalling Manchester City will be at the forefront of Liverpool minds when they step out at Old Trafford this weekend.

But it’s betteringPep Guardiola’sside that is the long-term aim for (Jurgen Kloppand his players.

The (Redsare currently eight points clear of City at the top of the table as the Premier League prepares to renew hostilities after the international break.

) They travel to bitter North West rivals Manchester United on Sunday pursuing an 18 th successive league win, which would equal the all -time record set by City almost two y ears ago.

The next batch of games will tell us more about Liverpool’s longevity at the summit, the Reds later facing a rematch of the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield before visiting promoted Aston Villa and entertaining City on November 10.

Liverpool’s most immediate assignment, though, could be the most indicative.

Not least given the importance Old Trafford fixtures have played in recent years.

Liverpool’s record down the other end of the East Lancs Road has, putting it mildly, not been great of late.

Yes, there was the historic 4-1 win in 2009, and the 3-0 demolition in 2014. But they are their only victories at Old Trafford in the last 18 visits.

And since that Brendan Rodgers era triumph five-and-a-half years ago, away teams have found it increasingly easy to win at United, who have been beaten 19 times at home in the subsequent period.

For comparison, Liverpool have lost 15 times at home – twice to United – while City have been beaten on 19 occasions, although only seven have come during Guardiola’s reign.

A look at some of the teams who have won at Old Trafford since the Reds’ last triumph is galling.

Southampton and West Bromwich Albion both have two wins, while Sunderland, Swansea City, Norwich City, Cardiff City and Crystal Palace have triumphed once apiece.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur can each claim a win each while, in European competition, Sevilla, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have downed their Mancunian hosts.

However, in that period, one team has won a whopping four times at Old Trafford.

Manchester City.

And three of those have come in title-winning campaigns.

Just weeks after Liverpool’s win in March 2014, City claimed a similar 3-0 triumph. They would go on to beat the Reds to the championship by two points.

In 2017 / 18, a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in the December underlined City’s dominance. And last season, a 2-0 triumph in late April put them in the box seat to hold off another challenge from Anfield.

Indeed, with City famously winning 6 -1 at Old Trafford in 2011 / 12, their four Premier League title triumphs have included a win

Of course, a point at Old Trafford would normally be considered a good result, as Klopp was right to claim after Liverpool’s goalless draw there in late February.

It still is. But a Liverpool win on Sunday could, as the cliche dictates, really be worth more than just three points.

And what happened the last time the Reds won the title back in 1990? They won at Manchester United …