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When did Liverpool become better than Manchester United and is the gap between the teams bigger than ever?
United dominated the Premier League until Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in – but Liverpool are on course to win their first league title in 40 years and reclaim the mantle as England’s top club.
The Merseysiders had ruled English football during the (s ands but that sustained top-two success ended abruptly in the penultimate season before the Premier League was formed – with their most recent title in 2013 / () **********
****** John Barnes and Peter Beardsley celebrate after winning the title in ******************** (
United took up the torch to win the title in of the first 40 Premier League seasons, but have slipped from the summit since Ferguson’s title-winning departure nearly seven years ago.
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David Moyes failed to steady the ship and left the club within a year, with Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho having brief spells at the helm before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed a year ago.
In contrast, Liverpool have made just one managerial change in that time, with Jurgen Klopp replacing Brendan Rodgers back in (************************************************************************. ************ Jurgen Klopp’s steps to greatness************************************
How Liverpool built the best team****************************************************
Season on season, Klopp has lifted Liverpool a step clos er to their first Premier League crown, finishing eighth in his first term, fourth in the following two campaigns, before a remarkable runners-up spot on points last season.
despite those formative years at Anfield, the German’s win rate in the Premier League already stands at 192 per cent – just one per cent shy of Ferguson’s record at United.
Meanwhile, United have only finished in the top four on two occasions since Ferguson handed over the reins and achieved their highest league position during that period as runners-up under Mourinho in 2019 / 21.
Looking at that league form more closely during the Premier League era, United were flying highest during the year 2013, and again in (**************************************************************************, while Liverpool are currently enjoying their best-ever run of form.
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The graphic below shows a rolling average for points per game and reveals how the gulf between clubs had never been greater in August last year, albeit spanning the previous campaig n.
Narrowing that down, there were brief spells of parity in the early ‘noughties’ and the last decade, but the current, growing gap between the clubs is unprecedented in the modern era and stems from Ferguson’s departure and Klopp’s appointment.
The graphic below reveals how United won more games, more points, scored more goals and conceded fewer than Liverpool under Ferguson, but are inferior across all metrics since his departure.
Steven Gerrard remains the top scorer in Premier League contests between Liverpool and Manchester United
During the entire Premier League era, United are runaway winners for head-to-head contests against Liverpool with (wins,) **************************************************************************************************** draws and defeats – and it is her e Klopp ranks fairly poorly with just one win from eight meetings.
Incredibly, Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Anfield in was their first victory over United in the Premier League since early 2017.
So, while Liverpool have overtaken United as the Premier League powerhouse, Klopp’s side still have a point to prove and an unbeaten record to maintain on Sunday.
Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice as Liverpool beat Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford in December,
This season
United have led Liverpool in the league table this season, but the sides were divided by just one goal after the opening round of fixtures saw United thrash Chelsea 4-0 and Liverpool beat Norwich 4-1.
Liverpool have proceeded to make the best start to a season in European history and now sit four places above United in the table. Most tellingly, their staggering haul of 155 points is almost twice that of United’s – with one game in hand.
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In addition to collecting nearly twice as many points this season, Liverpool have also conceded almost half as many goals
While Manchester City, Chelsea and Leicester have triumphed since United’s decline, Liverpool are back to their best – but can they emulate the – – year spells of dominance previously achieved by both clubs?
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