Watch Man Utd vs Liverpool live on Super Sunday from 3pm on Sky Sports Premier League; Kick-off 4.30pm
Wednesday 13 January 2021 18:34, UK
As Manchester United and Liverpool prepare to renew their rivalry on Super Sunday, we take a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the iconic matches of this classic Premier League fixture...
"This game has to have fire, has to have thunder. There may be draws, but there has to be incident. You cannot let these games drift. This game felt different because of what was at stake, losing could not be considered. You were driven by jealousy, driven by rivalry.
"There was always something happening, always some controversy, always great goals. It was a game you could you never get excited about or look forward to because there was too much at stake."
"This is right up there with the biggest games of the season. You always had good players on both sides that could do special things no matter how well you defended in games like this, you always knew a piece of brilliance could turn the game.
"If you could get a victory, whether it was at home or at Old Trafford, you knew it was a huge game to win. You always want to be the best, and when you're so close to each other you have that rivalry and I don't think it will ever change. We all say before the game that it's only three points, but we all know it's not, there is more rivalry than that."
When this fixture comes about it is<em> the </em>fixture, there’s no question about that.
Eric Cantona showed Manchester United exactly what they were missing as he returned from a nine-month suspension against Liverpool on October 1995. The Frenchman set up Nicky Butt for the opening goal two minutes into his return and, after Robbie Fowler turned the game on its head with goals either side of half-time, Cantona proved United's saviour again, coolly converting a penalty before leaping up onto the stanchion in one of the most iconic celebrations of the Premier League era.
Manchester United were given their rudest of awakenings as their arch rivals humiliated them on home soil to breathe life into their Premier League title aspirations. A first-half Cristiano Ronaldo penalty looked to have set United on their way, but Fernando Torres tormented Nemanja Vidic to get Liverpool level before Steven Gerrard put them in front on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot. And things went from bad to worse for the champions as a sumptuous Fabio Aurelio free-kick, seconds after Vidic was dismissed, and an audacious Andrea Dossena lob sealed a famous Liverpool victory.
A first-half header and a stunning improvised finish from Dimitar Berbatov put Manchester United into a deserved two-goal lead inside an hour at Old Trafford, but two Steven Gerrard strikes in the space of six minutes moved Liverpool to within touching distance of an unlikely point. That was until Berbatov had the final word, heading in a late winner as he became the first United player in 64 years to score a hat-trick against Liverpool.
Arguably the lowest moment of David Moyes' ill-fated tenure at Old Trafford, Steven Gerrard scored two penalties and missed a third after Nemanja Vidic's second-half dismissal, but Luis Suarez confirmed the most comprehensive of victories late on as Liverpool set their sights on the title.
Watch Manchester United vs Liverpool live on Super Sunday from 3pm on Sky Sports Premier League; Kick-off 4.30pm.
For non-subscribers, Manchester United vs Liverpool is accessible through a NOW TV pass. Get a Day Pass to Sky Sports for £9.99.
Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
